Displacement of Time and Space
by Shall-Iin
Summary: Rated for violence and language: How ancient are leviathan? What connection is there between Earth and a dead race? What secret's do the experiments left by that race hold that could save earth?
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the computer i wrote this on.  
  
AN: THis is a Farscape/ST:TNG X-Over.  
  
Takes place after end of TNG. Skips newest Movie Nemesis but might have occasional references to other TNG movies. Data is spending some time at the Daystrom Institute. He's decided it's time to rebuild his daughter and is working with Maddux. Now that he has Lor(in pieces,) they are working on duplicating Noonan Soon's work. Rest of Enterprise crew still together. Worf is now a captain and is given command of a ship identical to defiant(including improved phase-cloak) with a crew of mixed Klingon and StarFleet personel. StarFleet has paired his ship with Enterprise and a new class of battleship with Riker as the captain. Picard is in overall command. DS9 might show up as a general meeting place.  
  
In Farscape, consider a sort of future fic. They're still flying around, Zhaan is gone, Stark is almost totally nuts, and Jool is onboard. John and Aeryn are together, so are Chiana/Dargo. Jothee has gone off with Crais and Talyn. Scorpius is still around, but is now exiled, with his entire crew. Half of PK forces have defected to Royal Colonies. Nebari have begun an assault with the aid of Scorpius who continues to look into wormhole tech for both travel and weapons. The Scarrens are eating away at Peacekeeper territory, and the crew of Moya have been cleared of all crimes, though they don't know it. PK high command is trying to find them to ask for their help. Basically, want Moya's crew to take command of remaining loyal PK fleet and gain help from the other races, expecially Luxan and Hynerian since John and co have proved to be capable of taking on any race and coming out on top. ************************************************************  
  
Prologue:  
  
Data cocked his head to the left as he read the display. His computations were correct to within 0.005 picopercentiles. Yet the physical results disagreed with the mathematical data.  
  
He looked down at his workdesk, almost glad that he had turned off his emotion chip for this experiment. He was certain, due to his new familiarity, that otherwise, he would be feeling quite frustated with his efforts. This was the best results he had received all day, yet he was no closer to success then when he first started.  
  
He reviewed all the steps involved, trying to find where he went wrong. Still, he could not find the point at which his calculations and the results first came into conflict.  
  
The door chime broke through his concentration. He set roughly 15% of his mind to continue the task while turning the rest of his attention to his visitor.  
  
"Enter." he called.  
  
With the usual hiss, the door opened to reveal his visitor.  
  
"Hello, Commander. I was wondering if I could have a few minutes of your time."  
  
"Of course, Commander Maddux. How may I be of service?"  
  
Maddux stepped into the quarters, still nervous around the artificial lifeform. He was still embarrassed and ashamed of his actions that had led to the trial against Data. He had been certain that the Admiral would find in his favor, that Data was the property of StarFleet and not a living being. Seeing the strange mess on his fellow commanders desk and noting the smell of soemthing burned beyond recognition, he decided to jump right to the reason he had come.  
  
"A long range sensor probe in sector 435 has picked up a ship heading in this direction. Preliminary results of the scan indicate that the ship is of alien origin. The scans aren't very clear and the images don't match up with anything on file. StarFleet has sent all data here with a request for us, mainly for you, to review and enhance the images. They are moving several other probes into the objects path in hopes of getting more data."  
  
Data cocked his head to the right for variety's sake. "There are several starbases closer to sector 435. May I inquire why they are sending the data here?"  
  
"While most of the data is inconclusive, there are indications that the ship is somewhat similar to one the Enterprise encountered some time ago."  
  
"Still, I believe Lt. Cmd. LaForge would be better suited to solve this situation."  
  
"Perhaps. But if the information they sent is correct, than you are the only person who had direct contact with the ship, or at least, with something similar."  
  
Data frowned. He reactivated his emotion chip. "What does the information contain that I would be the only one to have direct knowledge of?"  
  
Maddux took a breath. "They think it might be TinMan. Or at least something related to it." ************************************************************ 


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:  
  
Tam Eldrin sat in the only chair in the center of the command for the living ship. He watched the screen as a pinpoint of light came slowly closer. He listened intently to the being some refered to as TinMan as it spoke to his mind.  
  
"I know my friend. I understand what is troubling you. But if what you sensed in the other place is true, we will need help. Thanks to you, I am in control now. You've giving me the power of self control and there is nothing I can ever do that will repay you for that." Tam stopped speaking and listened to a voice only he could hear.  
  
The gentle background thrumming increased in volume and pace as the being reminded Tam that they had been noticed.  
  
"I promised you I would help keep you safe. There will be no trouble for you. StarFleet will not harm us. And thanks to your help, we've tapped their comm frequencies and I've found where Data is stationed."  
  
The Betazoid listened intently again. "I know you are worried since you cannot feel Data, but even with your help, it will be a long journey and I would not be able to withstand the pressure of too many minds indefinitely. Data and perhaps 4 more at most."  
  
"How much further until we reach standard StarFleet communication range to the Daystrom Institute?" He listened to the reply and smiled. "Yes, I know we've been scanned by probes, but I'd rather speak to Data face to face and not through some mechanical relay. The fewer people who know the reason we returned to this area of the galaxy the better. Especially if we are to go in search of others of your kind." He closed his eyes for a moment in order to clear his thoughts.  
  
"I think I'll take this chance to rest for now. Please, wake me when we reach comm range." With that, the chair he was sitting in reclined and widdened into a bed.  
  
************************************************************  
  
On Moya, Uncharted Territories  
  
"Crighton, there's no frelling way you can be serious!"  
  
"Come on Dargo! It's just a message. It's not like they can trace where we listen to it." IASA astronaut John Crighton replied.  
  
"No. It's that simple. It's too dangerous and I will not allow you to put this crew in any more danger." The tall imposing figure of the Luxan warrior looked around the table in command seeking support. "It's a trap. Like always."  
  
Crighton stood and started pacing, one hand rubbing his temple. He knew all too well how dangerous it was to listen to any message from the Peacekeepers. "Everything in this frelling galaxy is dangerous, Dargo! There's no such thing as safety out here. Sometimes, you have to take a chance."  
  
"I agree with the luxan." stated Rygel. "Peacekeeps can not be trusted."  
  
Chiana looked up from where she was staring at the table. "What do Pilot and Moya say? They have a say too."  
  
Pilot's image popped up on the clamshell vieewscreen. "Moya is aware of the danger of responding to the signal, but from what we have been able to sense, there is no danger in simply hearing the message. As long as we do not try to trace the origins of the signal."  
  
"That's not good enough." stated Aeryn. "We can't be sure it's safe to pick it up here on the ship. We should find a planet and hack their comm systems. That way we can listen to the message without risking Moya."  
  
"But Moya would still need to be in orbit of the planet for that, Officer Sun." replied Pilot.  
  
Crighton sat down with an eager and thoughtful expression on his face. He had changed immensely in the five cycles since he had arrived. "Not really. We have the transport pods, my module, and Aeryn's prowler. A couple of us could head to a planet in one of them, while Moya stays just outside the system, on the far side of the sun." He tapped his head. "With the knowledge I got from the Ancients, and what I picked up when Scorpy had me, I can rig something up that will hack the system, while someone stands guard. We can listen to and record the message and then bring it back to the ship. If it is a trap, we comm Moya, and she can Starburst out of there."  
  
"That might work." admitted Dargo. "It's still dangerous. What if it's Scorpius again? He's gotten you too many times."  
  
John sighed and covered his eyes. He felt a headache coming on.  
  
"John's right, Dargo. We need to know what's going on." Aeryn said. "We are almost out of supplies and money. We can't afford to keep paying for information that's mostly false." She paused to let the gravity of their situation sink in. "Unless you wish to strike another Shadow Depository?"  
  
Dargo studied his crewmates. While at first glance, they were not a group he would have willingly allied himself, he had learned over the time they have been together that looks can be deceiving. There was no one else in the universe that he could trust like the beings on this ship and no one he held greater loyalty to. They had been through much together, and though they often fought and argued, it was nothing like when they originally forced together by circumstance and former enemy-turned-something like an ally, Bialar Crais.  
  
He would willingly lay his life down to protect any of the members of this crew and ship. 'Strange,' he thought 'Even when I married Lolan, I would never have believed that I could trust anyone as much as I trust these people. As John says ' the enemy of my enemy, is my friend.' '  
  
He took his time studying each of his friends. First, the young Nebari to his left. His new wife. A wanted criminal among her people, her only crime was wanting to live life on her own terms. They had had some hardships on their way, but had found the strength to build a stronger relationship for it. Beside her, hovering in his ThroneSled, Dominar Rygel XVIII. Once the ruler of a race of over 600 billion, now an annoying bag of slime, with rare moments of true nobility and compassion.  
  
To Rygel's left sat Joolushko. An Iterion they had found on a Hospital world. She, her cousin, and another oftheir race had been brought to that planet and kept in a form of coldsleep with the intent to be used as spare parts for the Hospitals clients. During an incident nearly 2 cycles ago, in which John had been such a patient, they had been forced to flee the planet in order to escape Scorpius. They had taken Joolushko and the other Iterion on board at Crighton's request. It seems that his race and the Iterions shared enough genetic material that they could come from the same stock.  
  
Beside Joolushko sat John Crighton, the only one of his species in this part of the galaxy. During his first meeting with John, he had not been impressed. He had thought the human to be useless and primitive. But the cycles had changed his mind as he watched his friend overcome enemies and problems that would have made him cower in fear. He had proved himself as both a tactician and a warrior of great abilities and cunning. The greatest shock of all had come in a casual conversation Dargo had overheard between John and a Sebecean historian on a market street on the Royal Planet.  
  
FLASHBACK  
  
"So you are not Sebecean?" Hali Reton asked as he sipped from his cool fruit juice.  
  
"Nope, I'm 100% grade A Human." Crighton replied.  
  
"And you say your world is at the start of exploring space?" The historian asked again, making a note on a recording device. "Amazing."  
  
"Can I ask you something?" John asked, taking his own drink.  
  
"Absolutely, Commander."  
  
John leaned forward. "How long have Sebeceans been in space?"  
  
Heli had to think for a moment. "I think our earliest flights outside the Home System were almost 7500 cycles ago. How long has your race been 'in space', as you say?"  
  
"About 50 cycles."  
  
"Ah. That is not a very long time, is it."  
  
"How about flight? How long was it from the first time someone flew a powered vehicle to spaceflight?"  
  
Heli could not recall the info, so he looked it up in his database. "If our records are to be believed, it took nearlly 1000 cycles before we reached space on our own after creating a means of flight."  
  
John had been taking a drink,sputtered. "1000 cycles? Holy shit! What took you so long?"  
  
Heli calmy wiped his face. "Long? I'll have you know that we Sebeceans made one of the fastest recorded progressions in the known worlds! Luxans took nearly 3000 cycles, Nebari just as long, and the Scarrens needed nearly 4500 cycles."  
  
John shook his head. "That's insane."  
  
Heli looked at him, anger started to take shape in his bearing. "And how long was it on your world?"  
  
"A little under 50 cycles before we sent satellites up and about 60 before we had a manned spaceflight." John stated, gulping the remainder of his drink. He noticed movement to his left and glanced over, spotting Dargo staring at him in amazement.  
  
"You lie! No race has ever advanced so much in so little time." Heli was so insensed by this humans lies, that he left the table, vowing never to waste his time with such beings again.  
  
Dargo, startled by the departure historian shook his head and joined his friend at the table. He placed his Qualta blade on the table in front of him and sat.  
  
"John, what you said to him, was it true? Did it only take 60 cycles for your race to learn to leave the planet?"  
  
John shrugged and poured another glass of juice. "Around there, yeah. Was he right? It took 3000 cycles for Luxan's to go from flying to spaceflight?"  
  
"I am no historian. I am a warrior, but I believe it was something like that." Dargo sat, staring into space, trying to wrap his mind around the implications. If Crighton's primitive species was capable of advancing at such a rate, there was no telling how long it would be before they were among the most powerful species in the known galaxy and Uncharted Territories. If they were in this area of space, they would turn the universe on its ears.  
  
End Flashback  
  
Dargo shook his head. If this was true, than John's race was truelly remarkable. It was no wonder that John was able to keep up with the huge difference in the level of tech from his world to this area of the universe. He was one of the most feared and respected beings in the Uncharted Terrotories, hunted by several races for the knowledge he contained hidden in his mind, yet he came from a race that was thousands of cycles behind, tech wise.  
  
"Look, I'm still not sure it's a good idea. But as long as you insist on doing this, I will go with you to watch your back." Dargo stated firmly.  
  
Crighton nodded. He had known Dargo would tag along.  
  
"I am going as well." Aeryn said. "John will do the tech work, while Dargo and I make sure nothing goes wrong."  
  
"So we're agreed? We find a safe or mostly safe planet, I hack the systems, and we find and record the message. We come back to Moya, Starburst out."  
  
"If we are going to be doing this insane plan, than we might as well pick a planet where we can get some supplies. We're running low of food and some other things." Jool stated.  
  
Dargo grunted. "I need some parts for my ship as well. Some are getting worn down."  
  
John nodded. "I need some extra parts for my module and I know Aeryn was complaining about some of the older parts in her prowler. We can pick up what we need before I hack in."  
  
"In that case, Chiana can take the supplies back to Moya on the transport. Dargo and I will go down in my Prowler, and John can take the Farscape." Aeryn added. She smiled wryly. "John's right. I need to replace some systems on the prowler. We've had to patch them too many times and some need replacing."  
  
Dargo sighed. "Fine. But we go armed with a few extra weapons. I don't want to take too many chances."  
  
"Okay, let's get some rest. Jool, you, Stark and Rygel are on first watch today. Then Dargo and Chiana, and then me and Aeryn. We meet in command tomorrow around midday to pick our target." John stood and nodded again to the others. Beside him, Aeryn also stood and together they left command to head to their new quarters.  
  
The others bid them goodnight and separated, Dargo to his quarters to get some rest, Chiana to the food bins to make a list of things they needed. Rygel disappeared on his ThroneSled while Jool complained about the watch stormed off to the med bay. Stark stayed in command, rocking slowly in his chair.  
  
"Something's coming. I hear it. I can't tell what but it's something big." He slowed slightly. "I miss you Zhaan."  
  
************************************************************ 


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
  
Daystrom Institute, Data's Lab.  
  
Data punched another sequence into the console before him, Maddux standing across from him, also entering data into the computer. Laol was fully reconnected and awaiting for the information and synapses from Data to be transfered to her newly rebuilt positronic matrix.  
  
Despite the risk of a cascade failure during the start up sequence, Data and Maddux had decided to go ahead with implimenting the program. The models and trials they had run had all failed, despite a mathematical scale showing success as almost certain. Maddux had theorized that the failure was caused by the program they were attempting to upload, so they had copied the synaptic pattern Data had copied into himself from Laol and were attempting to reintergrate them back into the blank slate positronic brain they had created to replaced the useless one that had failed.  
  
"Buffer's are prepared and waiting, Data."  
  
"Synaptic systems also loaded and ready."  
  
"Bring main power generation up to full. Power is up. Running diagnostic scan." Maddux quickly finished the scan. "All systems are operating at peak levels." He looked across the space where Laol stood, wearing a dress similar to the one she had worn during her first life. "All we need is to upload the sequences and wait for her to wake up."  
  
Data looked up from his own console, the fiber optic cable connecting him to Laol plugged securely into the port glowing softly as the information stored in his matrix was directed into Laol's brain. "I am grateful for your assistance, Dr. Maddux. I would not have been able to duplicate our current level for several more years without it."  
  
Maddux smiled. "Think nothing of it Data. After all, what are friends for?"  
  
Data also smiled. He had turned on his emotion chip for the attemp. If they succeeded, he wanted to feel the elation of his child's rebirth. If they failed, he would take the disappointment and use it to reforge his dedication to bringing his child to life.  
  
"Transfer is complete." Data stated. He pulled the plug from behind his ear and closed the protective plate over his brain. "Now, we must wait."  
  
************************************************************  
  
On Moya  
  
"We'll be back in 20 arns at most, Pilot." John said, strapping Wynona to one thigh and a second, which he had renamed Naomi to his other thigh. Aeryn passed him some oil cartridges wich he places in various pockets. Her rifle was strung across her back and she sported a pair of matching pistols crossed on her hips.  
  
Dargo then tossed him a set of small, pancake bombs. John had called them this because of their flat, round appearance. They were also mallable until the timer was set, and conformed to the shape of whatever they were held against.  
  
"Moya and I will be waiting on the other side of the sun, Commander. She has detected a small planetoid there that we will orbit. It supports no life, but it is in an excellent position to scan the system while offering protection against scans."  
  
"Remember our standard, Pilot. If you don't hear from us in 35 arns, Starburst out to one of the safe points we agreed on. If we make it out after that, we'll head to them."  
  
"Agreed, Commander. We hope that it does not come to that, however."  
  
"So do I, Pilot." John stated.  
  
"Be sure to have the DRD's keep an eye on Rygel and Jool." Aeryn added, as she finished loading her pulse rifle.  
  
Chiana sidled up to them and picked up a pistol. "So let's go already. The sooner we leave, the sooner we can get out of here and get pack into empty space. It's a little crowded around here for my tastes."  
  
"Why does the trelk get to go?" whined Jool. "Why do I always get stuck here?"  
  
"Because, Princess, I don't trust leaving Chiana and Rygel on Moya without one of us to watch her. And Stark isn't up to it."  
  
"Hey!" Chiana protested from the ramp of the transport she and Dargo were heading down in.  
  
"Sorry Pip, but Rygel and you have a way of setting each other off." Crighton said as he hoped into his module's cockpit. He started the warmup sequence. "Rygel hates Jool almost as much as you do, and with her scream, he'll stay out of her way and stay quiet. She could melt his Thronesled if he pisses her off too much."  
  
Rygel would have protested, but he was currently in the common chamber John usually refered to as 'The Round Table Room' stuffing his three stomachs. He had turned off his comlink and taking this opportunity to borrow his shipmates foodstores.  
  
"It's all Rygel's fault." Chiana stated weakly. She couldn't really fault Crighton's reasoning. She and Rygel did manage to cause more damage when they were left alone together.  
  
"I'm sure it is Pip. I just feel better having you at my back than Jool. No offense Jool, but you lead a pretty sheltered life before we woke you up and dragged you into our life." He waited patiently as Aeryn's prowler left the bay into open space, followed by Chiana and Dargo in the transport. Dargo's ship, a Luxan single warrior fighter, wasn't space worthy yet, and he was eager to find some parts on the planet during their trip.  
  
Once the way was clear, he eased his ship forward and out of the bay. "Be back soon. Keep the porch lights on."  
  
************************************************************ 


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 Daystrom Institute  
  
Laol's eyes flickered under the syntheflesh lids. The motion was too minute and quick for a human to pick it up, but Data's optical cortex was for more advanced. He noticed the motion out of the corner of his peripheral vision and turned to face his daughter.  
  
Maddux had left several hours before to get a late supper and catch up on his paper work before catching some rest. He was, after all, only human.  
  
Data's full attention was now on the figure in the containment case. Laol's left hand twitched. Once, twice, and a third time. The artifical lungs drew in air, causing the chest cavity to rise and fall. A faint sound come from the slightly parted lips as the drawn in air was expelled.  
  
Data held his breath. Though neither he nor Laol in truth required to breath, he similated the need as part of his attempt to fit into society. He did require air to speak and to cool some of his internal systems.  
  
"Whe. . .. where am I? How am I alive?" came the weak voice from Laol. Laol slowly opened her eyes, spotting Data as he studied a console in front of him.  
  
"You are at the Daystrom Instute. It has been nearly 8 years since your . . . death. Since that time, positronic science has advanced such that we where able to revive you."  
  
"Who is we, Father?" Laol asked, her eyes studying her surroundings. "Why are we no longer on the Enterprise?"  
  
Data cocked his head. His emotion chip was sending signals through his mind so quickly, he could barely identify each. "Does it matter, daughter?"  
  
Laol turned back to her father. She took in his appearance. He wore a tender smile, and his eyes appeared to be leaking. She reached a hand up to his face, reminded of the time in her short life in which he had explained tears. "Are you crying, father?" she asked, amazement in her voice.  
  
Data was forced to swallow deeply. "Yes, Laol. I now have the ability to feel. I am very happy to see that you are functioning at full capacity. We were worried that there might have been some damage to the memories before we reintegrated them into your new synaptic patterns."  
  
Laol smiled. "That is wonderful father." She stepped out of the containment case and embraced her father. A thought crossed her mind and she stepped back. "What about the cascade failure? Have you been able to find out why my systems failed?"  
  
Data nodded and gestured to the console. He brought up diagrams of the original design he had used and the new model he and Maddux had made. Some of the differences were obvious, while others were impossible to differrentiate from the original.  
  
"As I had theorized at the time, the problem was that your pathways were not designed properly to handle the emotions you developped. What we have done, is make a more advanced version of my emotion chip. Instead of a chip you can turn on or off as I can, the ability to process emotions is hardwired into each section of the brain. Your entire synaptic system will work as my emotion chip works for me."  
  
Laol blinked. "I'm very proud of you father. The work behind this is quite amazing."  
  
Data felt a new emotion, one he was hard pressed to name. "Most of the new design was done by Commander Maddux, after we were able to disable Lor."  
  
"Who is Lor, father?" Laol asked, her head tilting to one side.  
  
"He is my brother." Data added. He walked over to a wall and entered a code into the console. The wall slid upwards, and a rack extended from behind the wall. Lor's dissasembled body was being stored here while Data and Maddux studied it to repair Laol. Data was also hopeful that he might one day be able to repair his brother.  
  
Laol came over and studied the head. "He looks identical to you."  
  
Data paused. "Our creator . . . our father designed us in his image. Our appearance is reminiscent of his during his youth. It was his version of immortality. When people looked at us, they would have no choice but to see him."  
  
Laol took her eyes away from Lor and faced Data. "I am very happy, father, that you allowed me the choice of my appearence."  
  
"I could do no less. As I am already close to the immortality Dr. Soon sought, I had no need, nor at the time the emotional drive of ego, to make you in my image. I sought to create a being like myself, but who was not a copy of myself. I wanted you to have your own personality. One of the main ways children seek to separate themselves from parents is by their appearance."  
  
Laol walked over to a couch. Data followed, sitting in a chair position opposite her. She reached out a hand, which Data took in his.  
  
"What has happend since the failure, father?" ************************************************************ Tinman  
  
Tam awoke as a gentle beeping sounded in his ear. His mind was flooded with images as Gaurm let him know of their current location. He noted that there were a few mroe probes marking their trail and scanning them, yet some ships had been diverted away from their original flight paths so that Gaurm could go to his destination.  
  
"We are close now, my friend. Has there been any attemps to contact us?" he asked. He listened carefully as Guarm replied. "So they are not attempting to communicate, nor are they attempting to hinder us in any way. All they are doing is scanning us. It is as you said, Guarm. They are unsure who we are, yet they do not feel threatened by us. Perhaps the changes you underwent during the maturation have made you unrecognizable as the Tinman they knew. After all, they know nothing about Leviathans."  
  
Tam again listened as the living ship replied. "And you are certain that you have detected Leviathan signals from the galaxy? Are you certain you will be able to travel such a distance in the time we have?"  
  
Tam stood from the chair, which melted back into the floor. One of the walls seemed to part to show a vista of space in which floated hundreds of Leviathans at several stages of life. From what Tam understood, Leviathans were unarmed. Guarm was one of the oldest and most powerful. His memory contained a few references to Leviathans who had evolved defensive weapons and abilities like his own.  
  
As they were born and grew, Leviathans also evolved. Guarm's millenia of loneliness and isolation had evolved him to a more primitive form. One in which the main ability of Leviathans, that of Starburst, could be used as a defensive weapon. Instead of the forces being applied to the ship in order to move to another location, they were applied outwards, sending any harmfull vessels or beings away, giving the Leviathan time to escape from it's attackers.  
  
"How much longer until we arrive?" Tam stretched his neck, heading out of the main bridge area towards one of the lower decks. Guarm was equiped with several recreation and health rooms. "Only 5 hours. Thank you Guarm." ************************************************************ On Commerce planet  
  
"I would need three ion coils as well." Aeryn stated, completing the list of parts she needed for the prowler.  
  
"Ah, ion coils. We have all the parts you need here. A pair of prowlers were shot down over the desert, and we received the scavange rights." stated the squat being standing in front of the counter. "For the parts you have listed, we will need 650 retri."  
  
"Don't be absurd." Aeryn stated. "I can get twice as many parts for that price. 375 retri."  
  
"575. You wound me. I am simply trying to make enough to feed my hive."  
  
"500. Or I'll simply have to go elsewhere." Aeryn turned her head to face away from the being. "I recall seeing another prowler being scavanged by someone else. Perhaps they could offer me a better price."  
  
The being grumbled, but accepted. Aeryn gathered the parts she could, while the being crated those to large to carry and had them brought to the transport. Pleased with herself, Aeryn decided to find Chiana and John, who were picking up the other supplies. She had noticed a few vendors who had parts John might be interested in.  
  
Upon arriving on the planet, they had decided to split up. Dargo would stay with the ships, while Aeryn went in search of the parts for her prowler and the parts for Dargo's fighter. Chiana would find the food and medical supplies. John was searching for a place from which they could hack the comm system for the message. Once Chiana took off, John would attempt to hack the signal, with her and Dargo standing guard.  
  
Her comm beeped and she tapped it. "What is it, pilot?"  
  
"Aeryn, it's John." The voice came over the system. "I found a place to hack in. It seems they have a library here with public access to comm systems and news services. I didn't think anything like this exsisted out here."  
  
"That's good John. I have found several of the parts I needed. I am looking now for the parts you requested. Have you heard from Dargo and Chiana?"  
  
"Not yet. But there is something of a problem here."  
  
Aeryn sighed. 'Every time we come down to a planet, John somehow finds trouble.' "What is it this time, John."  
  
"There's a Maurader crew stationed across the street. There's something going on in that building. I saw a glimpse of someone as they entered. I didn't recognize him, but the way the PK's were twitching, it's someone important."  
  
Aeryn thought for a moment. "Do you think we should leave and find somewhere else to get the message?"  
  
"No. I just need a small diversion to slip past them into the libray. I need you to contact Dargo. Let him know about them so he doesn't freak out. Then try and reach Chiana. Have her cut short the shopping and load the pod. Make sure she takes off on the same vector she came in. The PK's aren't here for us, but that doesn't mean they won't attack us if they notice us."  
  
"Of course John." Aeryn smiled wryly. John had changed much since their first meeting in a cell on Moya. Though none of them would admit it, John was the closest they came to having a captain. He had an energy about him. He was a natural leader. She was very proud of all that he had accomplished and even more proud that he had found it in himself to push her and force her to confront herself over the loss of the other John. He had been able to remind her that though she had lost a lover, and that he was identical to her John, it did not mean she had to love him in the same way. TalynJohn was dead, and MoyaJohn was alive, but they were the same person. MoyaJohn was not a substitute for the deceased John, nor was she forgetting TalynJohn by loving him. He was his own man and she loved him as much as she had -and still did- love TalynJohn. But it was a separate love. One that grew each day.  
  
"Do you have a plan?" she asked.  
  
"I want Dargo to use his fighter and make a flashy exit. I want the Marauder crew to see his ship. I trust he'll know what to do."  
  
Aeryn let out a snort. "What if there are more than the one crew?"  
  
"Even better. I don't want these ones to leave just yet, I just want them distracted enough for me to get into the library complex."  
  
"What do you want me to do?" she asked.  
  
"While I'm in the library doing the tech thing, I'll need you to watch the PK's across the street. I'll need you to try and get an ID on the bigshot. The more info we have, the better it will be."  
  
"All right. I've got your position. I'll be there in 5 microts and I'll have Dargo do his diversion in 10." Aeryn signed off and started making her way in the direction her comm had tracked John.  
  
************************************************************ 


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 Daystrom Institute  
  
"That is amazing, father. So much has happen while I was deactivated." Laol cocked her head. Data had explained the more salient points of news from recent history including the Borg, the Voyager's news from the Delta quadrant, the Maquis and the Dominion.  
  
"There has been much fighting in recent years. Lucky, the Federation has survived, and indeed, it has grown stronger. There are firm allianced with several races that were previously antagonistic towards the Federation. But there is still a long way to go." Data replied. They were walking the corridors of the station, more as a means of relaxation than anything else. The schematics for the Intitute was downloaded into Laol's memory so there was no need for a tour.  
  
Laol had been operational for almost 24 hours now with no sign of degredation in her systems. They all hoped that there would be no problems.  
  
Data's commbadge beeped. They paused in their walk as he tapped it. "Commander Data here."  
  
"Commander, we have just received notice that the alien ship is entering Federation space. At it's current rate of speed, it should reach here in about 10 hours. If this is the destination of course." stated Admiral Hogan.  
  
Data cocked his head and considered the news. "I believe we are indeed the destination for the vessel. In fact, I am certain the ship is TinMan with Tam Eldrin on board and that they are coming here because this is where I am."  
  
"Why would that matter, Commander?" the Admiral asked.  
  
"Because I am the only being who Tam Eldrin can contact without a great deal of pain on his part. His telepathic abilities are far beyond those of any other telepath. He is incapable of blocking the thoughts of humanoid lifeforms. Tinman or Guarm is capable of filtering the thoughts out so long as Tam remains in physical contact with him."  
  
"Fine, I can understand that. But why is he coming back? The report on file says he and Tinman would not be returning. That they were going to try and find others like Tinman."  
  
Data thought for a moment. "Perhaps they have found them and are returning for another reason."  
  
"I suppose that's possible. Let's hope it's not a new threat. We've almost exhausted the fleet and our new alliances are tenous at best. We need a breather." the Admiral stated. The older man turned to look at the young woman next to Data. "And how are you today, Laol? I'm not sure if you remember but we met when you were first . . . activated."  
  
Laol tilted her head. "You were the one who insisted on taking me away from my father in order to dissect me and study how he created me."  
  
The Admiral shifted uncomfortable. "Yes. That was a rather difficult time for many individuals. I have regretted my behaviour towards your father and yourself greatly."  
  
Data felt compelled to add to the discussion. "The admiral was instrumental in my being able to save much of your personality and memory subroutines while the positronic matrix suffered it's collapse."  
  
"I thank you for that, Admiral. I can feel that I have lost some of the memories of my time on the Enterprise and much of the emotional sensations. I am looking forward to learning more about the world I find myself in. Father has told me some of what has happened over the past few years. But I have only his perspective and the narrative reports available to him to form my own opinions from."  
  
"He told you about the events? He did not include them in his upload to you, along with the other memories he held for you."  
  
"No. While father could have imparted such knowledge directly into my programming, he felt -and I agree- that it is best that I learn of such matters through the more natural methods. While we are technically machines, the true purpose of our exsistence, like those of the humans we are attempting to emulate, is to learn through our own experiences."  
  
"I understand. But, as I was saying, Tinman is on the way and we have no idea why. Just, be careful, commander. From what I read, Tam Eldrin never intended to return to this part of the universe. Something must have affected him for him to return."  
  
************************************************************ UT Planet Surface  
  
"Chiana and I are ready, John." Dargo stated as he watched the last crate get loaded onto the transport pod on his left. "Chiana was able to get a rather large supply of various foodstuffs. They just finished loading."  
  
"Thanks, big guy. Give me 2 microts and then blast off. Buzz the PK's ship to draw them there. Fire on them if you have to, but just get their attention, don't kill them."  
  
"I don't like this." Chiana's voice came over the come. "I have a weird feeling that something is going to happen."  
  
John's ears perked up. Chiana's recent acquisition of a previously unsuspected psychic ability had come in useful several times. "Something bad, or good, Pip?" He asked. Behind him, Aeryn watched the PK's as they continued to stand guard on the building.  
  
"It's not clear. What's that saying you use? Sex with one, or a half dozen of your brothers?"  
  
John nearly double over in pain trying to contain his laughter. "That's ' Six of one, a half-dozen of another.' Jeezus, Pip, get your mind out of the gutter. Look, I'm on the way. I'm going to circle around and move closer to the library, I'll give a static burst when I'm ready."  
  
Aeryn tapped him on the shoulder as he began to move off. He turned to face her.  
  
Aeryn studied her lover. "Be careful, John. Once you're inside, you're on your own. We'll handle things out here, but if there are any PK's in the library complex, you'll need to take them out quietly." She took a step forward, grabbed his shirt and pulled him into a kiss. "I love you, John. Don't make me lose you again."  
  
John's hand caressed her face gently. "I'll never leave you Aeryn. Nothing can keep me from coming back to you. Not Scorpius, not Harvey, and sure as hell not such a small group of PK's."  
  
"2 microts, John." Dargo agreed over the comm.  
  
John nodded, though the luxan couldn't see. "I'm gone." With that, he turned around the corner leaving Aeryn alone in the alcove to study the group across the street.  
  
************************************************************ Moya  
  
"I am sorry, Joolushko. I have heard nothing from the others on the planet."  
  
"But Pilot, you said you and Moya discovered a PeaceKeeper vessel hidden in that asteroid belt and that it is sending a signal down to the planet."  
  
"That is true, Joolushko. But we can not risk trying to intercept the signal nor can we reach the others without giving away our position." Pilot's arms moved quickly over the console he was positioned to access. The console controlled all of Moya's functions, as well as allowed Pilot to scan both outside the ship and the interior of Moya's passageways through the DRD's.  
  
"So all we can do is wait and hope that they don't see us? Incase it slipped your mind, Pilot, Moya is very hard to miss."  
  
"Commander Crighton gave quite implicit instructions should such a thing occurs, and Moya is adament that she will listen to those instructions. She cares deeply for all of the crew, but has a special fondness for Commander Crighton and Officer Sun."  
  
"I suppose we'll wait then. How long have they been down there?" Joolusho asked, looking around the command area. "Wait a minute. Where'd Rygel go?"  
  
Pilot looked up as Jool's voice started to rise. "More than likely, he's snuck off to the central chamber to , as Commander Crighton says, 'pig out' while the others are planetside."  
  
Jool sighed. She hated being left to watch the little slimeball. "I'll try to keep him from eating the remainder of our stock. Let's hope that Chiana is able to get a decent amount of supplies. I hate food cubes."  
  
************************************************************ 


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 Tinman  
  
Tam walked through the empty corridors of the living being in which he travelled the vastness of space. He knew little of the origins of Guram's species, but marvelled at the level of technological and genetic advancement he witnessed on a daily basis. A race of space going beings, modified to carry other biological races within their very bodies. He supposed that it was similar in a way to the process by which humanoid lifeforms carried various microscope organisms that allowed their bodies to process air and food into energy and allowed life to continue.  
  
Guarm was tracking a set of ships following them at Warp speed, some 3 hours behind them. He had allowed Tam to scan the ships. Tam had somehow not been surprised to find that one of the ships was the Enterprise under the command of Picard. Nor was he surprised that the second ship was under the command of Riker. The third ship was a bit of a shock, seing that it was a Federation call sign, yet was carrying a crew of mostly Klingon warriors and was clearly build for battle. The captain of that ship was also known to Tam, though Tam was surprised that Worf had sought out a command position outside of Security.  
  
In fact, most of the command structure on the Enterprise was unchanged, which surprised him. He would have thought that others would have left to pursue the advancement of their careers. He recognized the thoughts of Deanna Troi, now sitting in the second seat as first officer on the Enterprise. He found Dr. Crusher's thoughts worrying over a small matter concering one of the crew, as well as Geordi Laforge, watching the data flow over the screens as the Enterprise tried scanning Guarm.  
  
Commander Riker's, now Captain Riker, thoughts were centered on the possibility that this was a trick of somekind. He was still convinced that they had not heard the last of the Founders or of the Dominion. Captain Worf was also considering the possibility of an attack by the vessel. He was currently holding a briefing of his command crew, in order to familiarize them with the previous encounter with Tinman.  
  
He paused in his mental scan as Guarm questioned him.  
  
"No. Not yet. We'll only contact Data. I don't trust the others, no matter how well intentioned they are, they are ruled by their emotions and I don't want to have to try and block their reactions to my news. We'll explain to Data and let him tell the others. As long as I remain here, on you, I can keep their thoughts out. But if I leave, I'll go back to how I was when we met."  
  
"What we can do is make sure not to make any agressive movements. We should slow down a little and allow them to catch up and scan us. That won't completely satisfy their curiosity, but they are aware that we are heading to Daystrom so I suspect Captain Picard and Deanna are more than likely to know why we don't answer them when they hail us. Deanna knows how difficult speaking to them is for me even if the others do not remember."  
  
************************************************************ On Planet  
  
Dargo sighed as he watched Chiana's pod take off. It looked ungainly in the air and even worse on the ground, but the pods were sturdy little craft. Barring attack, she should reach Moya safely within the arn.  
  
Shaking his head to clear it of unwanted thoughts, he returned to the matter at hand. He checked the chrono meter and started the mental countdown. He had told John that he would wait 2 microts, and not a sliver more. The luxan fighter was already prepared for takeoff and the weapons were active. He would follow John's advice and use them only as a last resort.  
  
They'd changed plans as John and Aeryn flew out of the bay. Chiana had continued down in the transport, while he'd taken his fighter, under cloak and followed her until it was too late to turn back before advising John and Aeryn of the change. They'd felt that it was best to come prepared with as much weaponry as they could. They knew next to nothing of the inhabitants of this planet, and they'd had a few close calls lately that were increasing their paranoia.  
  
Though they all hated to admit it, he and Rygel especially, Crighton was the nearest they had to a leader. Though he came from a backwater planet on the far end of the universe and his people were centuries behind in technology, John had proven that he was more than capable of taking on the most advanced enemies and somehow not only surviving but thriving. It was an aspect of his people that Dargo greatly admired.  
  
During the several times in which they had wrongly thought to have found the human's elusive home, Dargo had come to respect the human's ability to take something so different from their own tech and re-engineer it to make it usable to them. John's module was a perfect specimen of humanity's gift in that area. He had, without destroying its appearance or design, managed to convert it to use the tech from more than a dozen different races.  
  
When he first arrived through the wormhole, his ship was barely spaceworthy. Yet it had withstood the dangerous travel through a wormhole fully functioning. And now, thanks to the systems John had added, it was a vessel to be proud of. It was sleek, fast and manueverable. Dargo felt that the only drawbacks now were the lack of traditional offensive weapons and it's noteriety. This was not a major drawback however since John had incoporated the Ancients knowledge, and the module had the ability to create and manipulate wormholes with the flick of a switch.  
  
Luckily, such a thing had not been needed as yet and they had been able to disguise it's new tech. Unless you already knew which sequence to enter, there was no way any one, not even Scorpius, would be able to use the wormhole tech or even find it. In fact, only he and Aeryn knew that John had regained access to the technology the Ancients had implanted in his mind. It was a dangerous universe full of evil beings with both technological and biological means to extract information. The fewer who knew of it, the safer they were.  
  
A soft chirp signified the end of the time alloted and he keyed in the sequence for take off. Once his fighter was off the ground, he directed it towards the small cluster of Peacekeeper ships parked a few hundred mentras from his position. His job was to distract the Peacekeepers and he meant to do it well. He trusted John to get the data they needed without getting into too much trouble, and he trusted Aeryn to save John's neck.  
  
As he neared the PK ships he received a warning over the comm system to back off. He ignored the warning and stopped his fighter directly over the largest of the three vessels. There were 2 Maurauders and a slightly larger vessel of a new design. He carefully brought his ship down so that the bottom rested on the larger ship. Once he heard the clang of metal slamming together, he turned the ship, scoring the metal of the vessel below him. He then moved forward and lowered his vessel slightly, before hitting an acceleration burn, causing a burst of flame to blast against the ship's nose. Laughing, he opened the channel.  
  
"This is Ka D'argo, of the Leviathan ship Moya. I am heading for the smaller of the moons. If any of you peacekeeper scum wish to find me, I'll be waiting there for 2 arns. After that, I will return here and destroy your vessels, stranding your cowardly hides on this rock." He closed the channel and took off into the upper atmosphere. He scanned behind him, noting the increase in signal traffic and the scattering of PK's who fired their rifles uselessly at his ship.  
  
He opened another channel. "Aeryn, distraction has been made. Is John in?"  
  
Aeryn's voice came over the static of hte line. "Yes. One of the men stationed across from my position received a comm signal. He immidiately sent the others back to the ships, or so I would guess, while he entered the building to inform whoever they were escorting."  
  
************************************************************ 


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 In Library Complex  
  
John watched as several beings used a terminal he had picked. It was in a secluded, shaded area of the building, yet offered clear lines of sight to both the front entrance and the emergency exit located near the back. He was now simply watching to learn the proper way to go about using the the terminal, incase there was a card or something that he would need to gain access to the interface. Once he determined that there was nothing of the sort necessary, he moved towards it.  
  
He carefully set his compact case on the desk and studied the console. He took another look around, but didn't notice anyone paying any attention to him. In fact, several of the other people using the facilities were very obviously avoiding him. This was a trend he had noticed on several other worlds as well, as most of the aliens mistook him for a Peacekeeper.  
  
Today, it was a minor deceit that he was grateful for. As long as he didn't make a fuss, everyone here would leave him to his work, afraid to risk Peacekeeper wrath. Though it had recently become common knowledge, the rift in the PK forces was not trusted. Most assumed that it was a trick they were playing on their enemies to lull them into a trap or that it was simply Scarren propaganda to frighten other races into giving up without a fight.  
  
He worked quickly, sliding his jurry-rigged leech into the crystal data port and using the libraries connections to hack into Planet communications. He scanned through several systems, being careful not to trigger any of the traps and alarms he found. It didn't take him long to find the message he was looking for, and he scanned it for viruses or trace programs.  
  
Finding nothing, he downloaded it into a spare crystal. He also took a moment to download a few other encrypted PK and Nebari messages he found. Finishing his role, he took a second crystal and downloaded a few of the more interesting bits of knowledge he found on the library system, including a few files on history and some medical data about species of his crew. Jool could use the medical data as a backup to her own knowledge, and he could study a little more about the races he found himself simultaneously fighting and trying to save.  
  
Making his way to the entrance, he commed his allies. "Hey babe, what's going on with our friendly neighborhood PK's? Has the big shot left yet?"  
  
"Not yet, John. In fact, Dargo's diversion was as effective as you wanted. There is only one peacekeeper across from me. He seems to be in command of the others. He sent the others back to the ships and went inside. He was out a microt later. No one else has returned from the ships, or left the building." Aeryn reported, waiting impatiently for her lover to return, so they could leave.  
  
"How much longer will it take?" she asked.  
  
"Already done. I'm just downloading some extra info that might come in handy later. I saw a small group of Sebecceans, looked like they're from the Royal Colonies, judging from the clothes. I didn't want to risk it though, so I duck backed into the cubicle and started leafing through the library systems. Found some neat stuff we could use, so I started downloading. Should be another 2 microts."  
  
"Be carefull. They could be disrupters." Aeryn stated, watched the sebeccean across the road. He received a comm signal, spoke into it, and looking around, he re-entered the building he was guarding. "Just a microt. Something's happening." She moved from her position to circle the building shielding her and came around a few buildings closer to the one she was watching.  
  
"Aeryn? What's going on out there?"  
  
"Not sure. Maybe D'argo's distraction was spotted as that?"she replied, listening and watching as carefully as she could.  
  
"Be ready for anything babe. I'm going to try and sneak out the back way." He turned off his comm and looked around the complex. Everyone was still avoiding him. 'Good. Time to go'. he thought to himself. He planted the eraser program which would wipe any tracks his hacking had made in the system.  
  
************************************************************ Enterprise  
  
"Well, Deanna? Is it Tinman?" Jean-Luc Picard asked as he took a sip of his tea. He had convened the senior staff in his ready room for a briefing. He had sent invitations for Worf and Riker to join them. It had been some time since they were all together. Though many people had worked the Enterprise over the years, Picard still missed the days of it's original crew.  
  
Deanna Troi, soon Riker, smiled and nodded. "It is and Tam is still onboard. He has blocked me out though, so I can't really get a read on him. I do sense that he is no threat and wishes our help for something."  
  
Lt. Com. Borene Loqualm, an Andorian who had joined the crew as tactical officer not long after Worf was given command of his own ship after finishing his tour at DS9, spoke next. "Captain, I'm sorry to interupt, but perhaps a little background information would be usefull? While I have read the official reports, I am well aware that there are often things that do not get placed in those reports for either personal reasons or because there is no actual proof. What exactly is Tinman and what is his relation to the Betazed Tam Eldrin?"  
  
Picard looked to Deanna and nodded. He finished his tea while Deanna explained the personal side of the previous encounter with Tinman and her relationship to Tam. Geordi added his own comments as did Beverly. He was glad that most of his crew was still intact and was proud of Riker and Worf for reaching their goals of captaincy. 'Now if only Data were here.' he thought to himself. 'Not that Loshey is an inferior officer, but not even a Vulcan is a replacement for him.'  
  
"What about weapons? Did the ship have weapons?" the Andorian asked.  
  
"Not really. It could convert it's drive into a slingshot, sending enemy ships careening out of control for light years. But no conventional offensive weapons we could find." Geordi stated. He turned his eyes, glad not to wear the bulky VISOR any more. "It was a peaceful exploration vessel, from what we could get out of Tam. It was brought too close to a sun that was going nova, and a radiation leak killed the entire crew.  
  
"Intriguing." stated Loshey. "Has anyone thought of trying to duplicate such a feat using the warp engine?"  
  
"Data and I had a short discussion about it during off hours a few years ago. We didn't think we could get the energy levels you'd need to be able to direct it to an enemy vessel without destroying both. It never came up after that." Geordi replied, drinking from his coffee mug.  
  
"Perhaps when we get a moment, we can go over the data and see if it is more feasible with the new hybrid technologies." Loshey asked, her grey eyes staring into Geordi's artificial blue eyes.  
  
"If you'd like, Commander." Geordi replied.  
  
"Captain, scans of the vessel report that there are what we asume are ports for energy weapons of some type." Borene stated, reading a display off a pad an ensign had passed him. "Sensors are unable to verify if the weapons are a threat to us."  
  
Picard frowned. "How is it possible? Tinman had none that we were able to find."  
  
"Perhaps the ship is evolving?" Berverly said. "It could be at a stage in it's life were it need the weapons, where before, it didn't? After all, we don't know anything about how they evolved."  
  
"Sort of like on Earth with caterpillers turning into butterflies, and tadpoles into frogs?" asked Geordi.  
  
"Something like that. I was thinking more along the lines of the Yespera warthogs, which are born without any defenses and grow small horns as they grow to sexual maturity, but after giving birth they lose the horns and grow spine like a porcupine. Each cycle of birthing changes the defenses with which they are equiped. Each change differs from individual to individual." Beverly replied. She poured herself another cup of tea and passed the pot to the captain with a gentle smile. He returned the smile and also poured another cup.  
  
A soft beeping from his commbadge interrupted the discussion. He tapped the badge to activate the transponder. "Yes ensign?"  
  
"Sir, Captain's Riker and Worf have just beamed over. The Kahlar's Vengeance has cloaked and dropped into a defensive position. The Alaskan Frontier has also dropped into a defensive triangular position and activated shields. Both have armed weapons. Shall we follow suite?"  
  
"Raise shields ensign, but do not arm weapons until and unless the vessel makes an aggressive maneuver. Picard out." He looked around his crew. "We will continue when Riker and Worf arrive." He stood and moved to face out the porthole of the ready room.  
  
He had been standing there less then a minute before the door swooshed open and the large forms of Will Riker and Worf Roshenkyo entered the room. Both were large men, Riker a few inches taller while Worf was more solidly built. As impressive as they were physically, it paled in comparison to the presence both men projected as easily as other lesser men breathed.  
  
Riker was a naturally outgoing man, born to a career StarFleet father and gentle Alaskan mother. His mother died while he was young, leaving his father to try and raise him on his own. The two had had their fair share of scrapes over the years. They had grown closer in recent years, until the senior Riker's death during the Dominion Wars. He had the ability to engender respect in other's because of his easy going nature.  
  
Worf was the opposite in demeanor to Riker, being a surly and gruff individual, even for a Klingon. Picard had had many dealings with Worf's people over the years and knew that while they were always eager for a fight, they were also a joyful people who took great pleasure in their agressive nature. Worf, an orphan due to a treacherous Klingon commander and a Romulan plot, had been rescued and raised by a Starfleet engineer on various outposts, before they settled on Earth. At the time of his childhood, relations between the Klingon's and Humans were not very good, resulting in much youthful mischief being perpatruted on the young Klingon. Worf, unlike Riker, demanded respect of those under him and gave his respect grudgingly to those he deemed worthy. Picard thought himself very fortunate that he was one of the handful of people Worf trully liked and respected.  
  
He smiled as he moved forward. "Greetings, Captains. It's good of you to join us."  
  
Riker laughed, and Worf's lip twitched. "Thank you sir, it's always good to be back on the old ship."  
  
Worf grunted as he spoke. "It is indeed good to be here. Although perhaps the situation could be better." He handed a padd to Picard and sat down next to Geordi. He nodded to those he knew and scowled at the crew he didn't.  
  
Picard palmed the padd and moved to his seat, motioning Riker to take the second chair on his left, facing Beverly, and next to Deanna. He watched with a smile as Riker leaned in to kiss Deanna's cheek before sitting in the chair that was rightfully her's as first officer.  
  
"So is it Tinman?" asked Riker, gettign straight to the point.  
  
"As far as our sensors can tell, yes. Although there are some differences." replied Jean-Luc.  
  
"The weapons and the shape?" asked Worf, also happy to skip the small talk and get on with business. Though he had an equal number of Klingon and Federation crew, the Klingon members thought nothing of the traditional means of career advancement, though they had been warned not to interfere with Federation personnel. There had already been some . . . discussion between him and some of the crew regarding the command structure and he hated to be away from the ship at this time.  
  
"Exactly. Those of us who encountered Tinman know that there were no real weapons. The device used to catapult us was simply a defensive manuever to allow Tinman to escape should it ever be attacked. Judging from the ports that have .. . grown, it's now capable of energy projectile weaponry and possible some type of probe or torpedo. As for the shape, Dr. Crusher theorized that Tinman is evolving, growing and the shape is simply a new stage in it's development."  
  
"Has StarFleet sent any warning to the bases and planets in its path?" asked Loshey.  
  
"The original probe and beacon data that recorded it's arrival in this sector of space and calculated its trajectory as being bound for Daystrom was sent ahead. No one could figure out why it was going there, though." Picard replied.  
  
"Data!" Deanna stated in excitement.  
  
"What do you mean?" aksed Beverly.  
  
"Of course." Riker exclaimed. "Data is the only person Tam can be around without being driven insane. His telepathic abilities are too advanced to be able to hold a normal conversation with someone, even over subspace."  
  
"But Data isn't emotionless now. He has the chip." Geordi added. "And Tam doesn't know it."  
  
Deanna frowned. "I wonder if Tam will be able to pick up on Data's emotions? I can now, after a few years and knowing what to look for, but Tam is much stronger than I am."  
  
"And Data has the ability to turn off his chip." Beverly reminded them.  
  
"He must be going to Data. But why? Why did he come half way across a galaxy to find Data when he could have reached him over subspace."  
  
"Perhaps he needs Data's help with something, Worf." Riker put it. He leaned forward on the table, steepleing his hands. "Maybe he's lonely and learned about Data's sabbatical and came to see if Data wanted to go on a trip with him."  
  
Everyone looked at Riker like he was growing a second head.  
  
Riker shrugged. "Just a thought." ************************************************************ 


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7 On Moya  
  
"Have the Peacekeepers noticed us, Pilot?" Jool asked, as she helped Chiana unload the pod. Rygel was flitting around on his thronesled, generally making a nuissance of himself while simultaneasly stuffing his face with some of the foodstuffs Chiana had purchased.  
  
"They have not given any indication of having done so, Joolusku. Nor has the signal they are directing to the surface changed in any way. Moya is puzzled. Surely if there were Peacekeepers on the surface when we arrived, the ship would have seen us on scans as we entered this system."  
  
"I don't understand it either, Pilot. Have they sent any other signals that Moya's detected? Perhaps they are waiting for reinforcements?" questioned the Iterion while guiding the loading sled out of the transport pod and into the bay area.  
  
"We are uncertain. Moya is wondering if she should leave and allow the others to meet us at the safe point."  
  
"Pilot, I don't think that's neccessary right now. I'm certain that we can wait a little longer. Keep an eye on the ship, though. If any craft are launched towards us, we'll get out of here." added Chiana, her head cocked at an angle as she waited for Jool to move so she could get her loading sled into the transport.  
  
A soft beeping over the comm system caused Jool to stop and Chiana to reach for her pistol.  
  
"What's going on, Pilot?" they asked.  
  
"Moya received a signal from Ka D'argo. He is returning to Moya. The ships that were following him have broken ranks and returned to the planet." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, the hangar doors began to open.  
  
D'argo brought his vessel in carefully, aware that Chiana and Joolushko were in the bay. He landed with a slight thump and powered down the systems, leaving a few running on a timer should he need to leave in a hurry. He stood and exitted the ship, striding towards the pod were Chiana and Joolushko were waiting. Once his ship had touched down, Jool had moved the sled off the ramp to allow Chiana to head into the pod.  
  
"Well, big guy? What's going on down there?" asked Chiana as the luxan reached them.  
  
"John has retrieved the message as well as some information he says will be usefull to you, Jool. He and Aeryn are attempting to get the identity of the Peacekeeper the soldiers are escorting. They told me to return here but to be ready to go should they need our help." D'argo looked up into the transport pod, seeing that it was mostly unloaded. "You did well, Chiana. It looks like you got enough to last monens."  
  
Chiana grinned. "Of course I did. I even got a few things for myself."  
  
"Did you get any marjools?" Rygel asked as he floated into the bay out of an access conduit. His thronesled's humming grew as he increased the thrust so that he would be able to clear the stacked crates.  
  
"We got a bunch of goodies." Chiana stated, watching as the last crate was brought down by Jool. "I was able to get a supply of Luxan delicacies. Seems a luxan shipping vessel was in a fight with a Scarren scout and had to stop here to refit. They didn't have much money, so they had to trade a few crates to make up the price. But the stuff they traded reacts badly with some of the local foods and they were desparate to get rid of them."  
  
"I hope Aeryn is able to get the parts she needs. If there was a Luxan ship here, they might have traded some parts I could use." D'argo stated, as he moved towards the crates. "Do any of these have to put into special storage?"  
  
"A few of them should be placed in a cold room. That large freezer unit near the main supply room would be perfect."  
  
"You mark which crates need to be moved and where they are to go, than I'll move them. In the mean time, I'm heading to command." D'argo strode out of the bay. "Pilot, what is the situation on the ships that followed me?"  
  
"They have returned to the planet. They sent no signals nor did they receive any. Moya thinks they are not aware of your diversion. She is also anxious for Commander Crighton and Aeryn Sun. She wishes to contact them and have them return so that we may leave."  
  
"Power up as many systems as we can without putting too much stress on her. I want to Starburst as soon as we can when John and Aeryn return." D'argo sat at a chair, pulling a small chip from a pocket. "In the mean time, I'd like to have these scematics displayed on the clamshell." he said sliding the chip into a slot on the console before him.  
  
"Certainly, Ka D'argo." Pilot replied. ************************************************************ On Planet  
  
"Any clues yet, babe?" John asked quietly as he slid into position next to Aeryn.  
  
With typical Peacekeeper aplomb, Aeryn simply turned her head, not showing the surprise she felt at having John approach her so silently. "Only that it must be someone very important to rate this type of devotion. In this heat, I'd hate to think how he must be feeling standing there as he has for so long." This was said in reference to the single guard who had remained during D'argo's little adventure.  
  
"Devotion? That's a first. Usually it's fear." John commented as he studied the soldier's across the street.  
  
Aeryn frowned. Though she hated to be reminded that was indeed the standard procedure for incuring loyalty in subordinates. The thinking being, if everyone under your command was terrified of what you'd do to them, any danger they might face would pale in comparison.  
  
"Look, someone's leaving the building." John added, ducking further into the shadows they were hiding in.  
  
Aeryn moved with him, close enough to feel the heat of his body. Together, they watched as a pair of Sebeceans wearing some type of PK uniform exitted while talking with an individual that looked like a humanoid lion to John's eyes. He had seen many of earth's creatures in the faces and personalities of dozen of races but none quite as close to what he was used to as this being. This being was huge, easily half again the size of a large human or Sebecean. His shoulders were probably 3 feet across and even though his body was covered by a large flowing robe, John's practised eyes could easily tell that he was incredibly muscular.  
  
"Shit Aeryn, that thing looks exactly like a lion." he stated, not even mentioning what he thought of the things size.  
  
The alien bowed to the PK's, bringing his huge head level with the Sebecean's before rising to his full height. The slanted, green eyes swept over their hiding spot and paused. The head paused, eyes staring straight at them. John knew that the alien had spotted them. Their eyes were locked and John could make out a slight twitch in the corner of the being's lip and he was startled when the being winked at him.  
  
He was so startled he almost didn't notice when the alien bid farewell to the PK's and started back in to the building. When it reached the top of the stairs, it turned to face John and Aeryn again, this time nodding in a manner to indicate that he wanted them to come over. The Pk's left, the two who were obviously in charge followed by the Maurader crew.  
  
"John, I think the alien knew we were here." Aeryn replied as they ducked behind the wall while the PK's walked past them.  
  
"He did Aeryn. And I think he just invited us to talk to him."  
  
"Do you think that's wise?" Aeryn asked, checking on the progress of the PK's.  
  
"No, but I think we should do it. But not alone." John tapped the communicator to reach Moya. "It's time to call in the heavy artilery."  
  
************************************************************ Daystrom Institute  
  
Data smiled as Laol finished playing. She had asked if she could spend some time in the holodeck in order to take up music. Data had wondered briefly what she meant to play. She had said nothing, smiling gently as she typed commands into the console. Second later, a baby grand piano and a Stradavarius shimmered into existence. Laol made her way to the piano seat and sat, her head cocked.  
  
"Care to join me father?" she asked, gesturing towards the violin.  
  
He smiled. "Certainly, Laol." He picked up the violin and waited for her cue. For the next two hours, they had an impromptue concert, ranging from the classics Data usually prefered to slightly more modern 20th and 21st century jazz and pop. They even managed to adapt a few pieces from Vulcan, Klingon and Andorian musicians.  
  
"That was wonderful father!" Laol exclaimed, clapping her hands. "While I had the analitical and theoretical knowledge of the experience, I had no idea that music could be so uplifting."  
  
Data nodded. "I have only recently begun to truly appreciate the emotional draw of music. It allows people a way to push aside their problems and gain a feeling of peace even when they're in a great deal of trouble."  
  
Laol sighed. "Yet another aspect of humanity to cherish."  
  
"Are you worried about something, Laol?" Data asked.  
  
"I am father. The situation with the ship that is approaching. There is a specific reason it is coming for you and everything I have learned tells me that it will be dangerous."  
  
"Are you experiencing . . . intuition?" Data asked with a surge of surprise.  
  
Laol cocked her head. "I believe so." Her face scrunched up in confusion. "Could . . . could this be a sign of another collapse?" she asked, her voice quaking in fear.  
  
Data frowned. "Let us return to my lab and we will run some diagnostics."  
  
They left the holodeck, which reverterted to the standard empty room with black walls and a yellow grid on all the surfaces. Upon reaching Data's suite, they began running tests on Laol's systems. The data they found showed that all systems were functioning at or above standard parameters.  
  
A possible solution to the situation came to Data's mind and he pondered the possibility. 'Is Laol developping a form of prescient telepathy?' he asked himself.  
  
"Is it a collapse, Father?" Laol asked as she stepped out of the platform.  
  
Data shook his head, a gesture he had assumed recently. "No. In fact, I think that whatever is happening is actually stabilizing your neural net."  
  
"That is encouraging, at least." Laol stated with a small smile. "I am looking forward to experiencing life and do not wish to repeat my previous incarnation."  
  
Data took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I will do everything I can to prevent that from happening."  
  
Laol's smile grew tender as she looked up at her father. "I know you will father. I believe in you."  
  
************************************************************ On Planet  
  
"D'argo, it's John. Change of plans. I need you to come back down here. Bring Aeryn's armor and ask if either Pip or the Princess will come down. Oh yeah, stop by my quarters and pick up that shield device. It might come in handy." John stated into the comm unit.  
  
Aeryn had been watching the building, noting that all the PK's had left and no one else had entered or exitted the building since then. "John, you plan on us just walking in and doing what, exactly?"  
  
"Ask to see the one in charge." John replied. "Nice and easy, I'll wait until the others get here. I should have just said to bring Jool. Her scream would be usefull if a fight does break out and I'd rather not have her and Sparky on Moya without adult supervision."  
  
Aeryn chuckled. Though she complained often about his keeping things from her, she actually enjoyed his little surprises. He was a brilliant tactitian and strategist and was more than capable of holding his own in even the most unusual situations. She was proud to have witnessed his growth from a scared, unsure alien into a cunning and skilled soldier. There were many reasons aside from the wormhole knowledge that Peacekeeper command and the hostile races feared him. Given enough time, he might unite the other races into a powerful force.  
  
"I'm certain D'argo understood when you told him to bring the armor." She told her lover. "What do you think the message is?"  
  
John rubbed his knuckles thoughtfully. "Truthfully? I have no clue. I mean, I have a few hopes of it being a pardon or something like it, but I doubt it. Not after all the time and expense that High Command has spent on finding and killing me."  
  
"Maybe it's an offer to join them?" She joked. "They aren't doing too well. There are too many fronts to be effective and the Scarrans outnumber the Peacekeepers. The Nebari putting up a much better fight then High Command would have thought."  
  
"I just hope it's something we can use, not just another taunt or something. No one knows where Scorpy went. Maybe it's from him?" John pulled on his lower lip, a gesture he only made when nervous.  
  
"If it is, we'll find out where he is and kill him. The idea that he's still out there, working on wormholes, and trying to find out what you know frightens me. He's the only one, the only faction, that I'm really worried about. He knows you, knows us better than anyone else. He knows how we work and where we're likely to go." Aeryn stated. She had barely glanced up as D'argo's ship burned through the atmosphere far above their heads. Backup would be here soon and then they could confront the current threat. ************************************************************ Inside Administration building of Planet  
  
"Well, Coreager, where is he?" demanded a gruff voice from the shadows of the inner office.  
  
The lion faced being tensed as anger surged to the forefront of his psyche. He hated the one speaking to him with a passion rivalled only by his love of his people.  
  
"He will come, Doreater. I suspect he is being cautious. He is not aware, after all, of the reason for the Peacekeepers prescence this far out of their usual boundries." He resisted the urge to leap in to the shadows and tear the throat out of his hated rival.  
  
The Doreater of Yangou province leaned forward, his bloated face appearing out of the shadows to make his point. "I grow tired of your constant attempts to placate those fools, Coreager. Perhaps it was a mistake for this Council to select you for such a responsible position. Perhaps we should have named you to the recycling teams instead of leader of our armies."  
  
A hand grasped the coreager's shoulder before he could start his leap. Another face slid out of the darkness, this one older and much thinner. One of the eyes was a milky white and a scar ran across his face, dividing it in two sections. "That is quite enough, Doreater Pringa. Your objections were noted and disposed of. Lyar is Coreager and he remains Coreager until someone is strong enough to deplace him. Perhaps you would like to attemp to do so?"  
  
Doreater Pringu glowered fiercely at the old man before leaning back into the shadows with a sneer. He would be no challenge for the much younger and more fit Lyar. Even at his best, many cycles ago, he would have been no more than a light workout for the Coreager. He hated to admit it, even in his own thoughts, but there were few who could come close to the strength of Lyar. It was one of the reason he was selected as Coreager.  
  
"I still don't understand why we must deal with this human. What is so special about such a pathetic specimen?" he asked instead.  
  
"The knowledge he has access to is far beyond anything our researchers have. Only a handfull of individuals in the entire section of space can even begin to grasp the complex equations and mathematical data require to control a wormhole. John Crighton is one of these people. As is Scorpius. A few Scarrens with stolen or puchased information from people who got it off of Scorpius or John Crighton. Scorpius believes that there is limitless potential in creating wormhole weapons. John Crighton is travelling the Uncharted Territories and the Tormented Space searching out and destroying those who are researching this technology."  
  
Another person leaned forward. "How can wormhole technology be used as a weapon?"  
  
"I do not understand the science but I do understand the tactical abilities of this technology. Imagine this: you send in a lone ship to face off against dozens of enemy vessels. This ship has the ability to create and traverse wormholes at whim. They open a wormhole in the middle of one of the ships. That ship is instantly torn apart, and the nearest vessels are dragged into the gravity well. The ship opens another wormhole in another ship, causing the same to happen to it and those vessels around it. Within seconds, the dozen ships are reduced to scrap which is ejected from the wormhole dozens of lightyears away directly in front of another squad. The shrapnel of the first ships slam into the others, destroying them. And there you go, victory. One ship equiped with this tech could destroy hundreds of enemies in this manner." Lyar studied the shadows, trying to get a glimpse of the council. If any discovered just how advance their current tech was, there would be dificulties with his plan. "There are other ways they could be used as well. As I said, the possibilities of this weapon and technology are nearly limitless."  
  
"I'm still not clear. A wormhole is like a tunnel? Everything near one end if sucked in and is shot out the other?"  
  
"That's what I understand, except that the gravity works at both sides. Everything at one end is sucked in and then shot out at the other end. Things can travel both ways. Theoretically, the scientists believe there is a way to limit travel to unidirectional instead of bidirectional flow." Lyar finished. A beep from his wristscanner alerted him that their guest was now approaching the complex. "I must go to meet him. While we have information for him, I do not think it wise to alert him to all aspects of our government. We do not wish to take part in the coming wars." He bowed to the old man and swept out of the room, leaving only the central light shining down on an empty space as those who had entered to hear his words, faded back into shadow. ************************************************************ 


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8 On Moya  
  
"I'm sorry Chiana, but I'm taking Joolushko this time. We might need her shrieks when things go wrong."  
  
"So that's it then! You like the Princess more than me now? Don't think I can handle myself responsibly?" Chiana demanded.  
  
D'argo sighed. He put his hands on the Nebari's twitching shoulders. "Chiana, I am not taking her because I like her more or because I think she's more responsible than you. I am taking her because of her metal melting shriek and because I have a bad feeling about this. Something is going on that we don't understand. We're missing some information- information that could lead to us all being killed. And if something does happen, I'd rather you were here on Moya able to get out and return later to try and rescue us if we're captured than be caught with us and tortured. The Peacekeepers have our descriptions but I don't think they know a lot about Joolushko and her scientific knowledge is of more use to John on the planet than up on Moya."  
  
Chiana hated to admit it, but D'argo's reasoning was sound. In this case, it was best for Joolushko to go, but that didn't mean that she had to accept it or like it.  
  
"Fine, I'll stay on Moya! But if I think you need me, I'm coming down there." she stated before sauntering off with her typcial gait.  
  
"Agreed." he stated while watching her walk off. "Pilot, once my ship has cleared the bay, I want you to seal the bay doors. Don't let anyone in or out without my or John's approval. I don't care who asks. If John and I don't tell you to, don't open up." He started moving towards the bay, having already stopped by John's quarters to pick up the requested items for John. "Oh, and have some DRD's waiting in the bay. We've been boarded too many times before. I want to know if anyone comes close to Moya."  
  
"Of course, Ka D'argo. Moya and I understand and agree with your worries. We have diverted all non-essential DRD's to the bay to await your return. Moya wishes to express her hopes that these precautions are unneccessary, but fears a repeat of previous occassions. She also wishes to express her hope that you will return quickly."  
  
"Tell her I hope to return quickly as well."  
  
"Moya has noted, Ka D'argo, that the Peacekeeper ship is aware of us but is keeping its distance. In fact, she notes that the Mauraders and Prowlers that usually orbit such ships in search patterns have avoided coming in this direction."  
  
"Keep an eye on them, Pilot. I will relay that information to John and Aeryn. Also, close all comm systems. Accept no messages until you sense the return of my ship and the Farscape. Contact us only if the Peacekeepers become interested in Moya."  
  
"We agree, Ka D'argo."  
  
D'argo strode through the bay towards his recently aquired ship, which he had named after his dead wife. The ship was an ungainly thing, but had enough fire power in it's cannon to destroy most vessels it came across. Joolushko was already waiting impatiently by the entrance, carrying her usual rifle as well as a second rifle and a pair of pistols. She was also wearing a holster belt with several of the 'pancake' bombs and what seemed to be a small toolkit.  
  
"John did say to bring down some heavy artilery." she stated as she noticed his expression.  
  
D'argo nodded he himself was armed with more than his Qualta blade, having belted on a pulse pistol and some explosive of his own. "Are you ready?" he said as he opened the ship and moved to the command seat.  
  
"As ready as I ever am when dealing with this dren." she stated, seating herself beside him. "Why do I have to go? I'm a scientist, not a soldier!" she complained as they left the comforting presence of Moya to travel the void.  
  
"So is John and you don't hear him complaining, Jool." he stated, guiding the ship towards the planet. He kept one eye on his scans, tracking the activity of the Peacekeepers.  
  
"But he's insane! Completely Farbot. As if my people could somehow be related to a bunch of backwards primitives who aren't advanced enough to know how to travel farther than their moon."  
  
D'argo chuckled. "Jool, shut up. The humans might not be as advanced technologically as our peoples, but they are getting there. Have you actually sat down and talked with John about his people? They are advancing at a rate that would seem impossible to any of the races here. He told me once that a century before he was born, humans were just starting to begin usuing electricity in a usefull manner and that even a few cycles before his birth, his people had not even reached their moon. They went from the first mechanical flights of a few metras to having reusable spacecraft in about 60 cycles. Not even your race has advanced in such speed."  
  
D'argo chuckled again at the Iterion's expression. "John himself was barely abe to understand our technology when he was first thrust into this galaxy by the wormhole. Now, he is one of the best techs around, able to merge diverse technologies into one that is beyond what they originally were. Not that he is totally caught up, but most of his lack in that is due to differences in cultures and the differences between the races like Sebecceans and Scarrens."  
  
"Fine. I believe you." Joolusko stated, irritated by the whole conversation. "But I still think he's farbot."  
  
D'argo chuckled. "Maybe he is, but even so, he's still one of the sanest people I've ever met."  
  
They stopped talking as D'argo guided the ship down to a landing in the same area as before. He noted that the Peacekeeper ships were no longer there and felt a moment's dissapointment. He always enjoyed the thrill of battle and was eager to use his powerful ship against his enemies.  
  
They disembarked and made their way into the city. They received a few looks, but D'argo guessed it was more because of the rareity of luxans and iterions working together than because of their weapons. He had noticed a dozen people even more armed than they were. He noticed a few he pegged as security by the uniforms and similar weaponry.  
  
They reached the area John and Aeryn were hidding and as they waited to try and slip into the ally, John and Aeryn came out.  
  
John nodded to the pair. "Good, you brought Jool. I didn't want to say so on the comms, but I need her here." He lifted the case with the equipment he had used to hack the system. "Jool, I need you to take a look at some of this info. I downloaded a ton of medical info I don't really understand but that you should. See what you can find about Scarran breeding. I want to know if Scorpy has any weaknesses we can use against him. I also want to know how he was created."  
  
Joolushko smiled. She took great pride in her intelligence and even knowing that some of the motivation behind John's words were to placate her and designed to appeal to her ego, she believed that she was indeed the only one of their crew capable of finding out such information. "Certainly John. Should I review the message as well?"  
  
"No, not yet. We'll wait until we're on Moya and we've Starburst out of this system. I don't like that a Command Carrier is just sitting there, ignoring us. Something fishy is going on and I want to have us all together before we try and figure out what."  
  
"Are we all going in?" D'argo asked, more interested in the possible danger than the scientific knowledge.  
  
"I wanted to but Aeryn made a good point while we're waiting. We don't know what they want with us, so I want someone to stay out front, like the Pk's had. We'll keep our comms open and just in case they block them, Jool's shriek is our backup. She's coming in with me, whoever stays out in front will be able to hear it."  
  
D'argo snorted. "I will stay in front. If Aeryn stays, there's too much chance of someone mistaking her for a peacekeeper."  
  
John nodded. "Okay. Then we're set." He took one of the rifles from Dargo, and another bandoleer of bombs. He put on the shield device and Aeryn tested it with a shot at his finger. The shield worked and D'argo handed the second to Aeryn. Aeryn quickly put it on, and they tested it in the same manner.  
  
The three strode into the building, Aeryn and John walking in step and Jool a metra behind. D'argo drew his Qualta blade and armed it, letting it rest in the crook of his arm. He scowled as people approached the building, talking to each other over some type of documents. They looked up and saw him and froze. He made a show of fingering the handle of his weapon and they quickly scampered away. He smiled slightly as he watched them. 'This could be fun.' he thought to himself. ************************************************************ 


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9 On Peacekeeper Command Carrier  
  
"Captain, flight crews report that they were scanned by the luxan ship and that the leviathan is continued to track them." the pk tech was reading from his screen as his commander paced the bridge in front of his chair.  
  
"Excellent. Keep them flying regular patrols and tell them that they are to continue to avoid the area in which the leviathian is resting. We do not want to alarm them into starburst." Captain Noreg Hort stopped pacing and sat rigidly in the uncomfortable chair. There were times he really hated the peacekeeper mentality of strength. He could use a good, comfy chair to sit in, but that was out of the question at the moment. "Do not send any signals out, we do not want the crew of the leviathan thinking we are setting a trap."  
  
A large figure standing near the single door to the bridge walked to stand next to the captain. "Are you sure it is wise, captain, to remain so close? What if one of the other ships spots us? We don't want to be reported for failure to capture the leviathan. It would damage the credibility of the others with the common soldiers."  
  
Hort turned to face his aid and personal security. They had been brought to the peacekeepers together, as their families could not afford the bribes it took to keep their children out of the service. Hort knew that he had several siblings in various branches of the Peacekeeper forces, some of whom he had not spoken to in years. They had made a pact to remain true to their heritage of freedom, despite the peacekeeper training. They had been separated soon after being drafted, yet Hort had immediately demand his friend's reassignment to his staff once reaching his command posting.  
  
"It is a chance we will have to take, Gaan. We must secure John Crighton's help or we will be destroyed. Either by the Scarrens or by our own High Command's foolish policies." Hort smiled. "It is odd, is it not, to find ourselves depending on the help of a being we would not have lowered ourselves to speak to not so long ago."  
  
"Yes sir, it is indeed odd." Lt. Gaan Reis replied to his commander's statement. He was a large man, and he was known for his skill at both armed and unarmed battle. Most people assumed that he was not too bright, as his lazy left eye which was also cloudy. This was an old injury that would once, in the not so distant past, have caused him to be killed. He was, however, a brilliant tactician and could have easily held his own command if he had wished. He had decided early on, though, that he would instead seek to work behind the scenes, lending support to his friend and gathering a loyal crew of security and medical staff. Hort had foccused on becoming popular among the techs, learning as much as he could in his down time to be able to talk to them on their own level.  
  
"Perhaps there is a lesson that can be learned from this?" Hort asked. Their conversation was being heard and recorded, as was usual on the bridge of a ship of this class. The two also knew that is would be sent to High Command where is would be used as evidence against them should they fail. They were playing to those hidden listeners, trying to remind them of the situation they found themselves in.  
  
"That we should obliterate all of the lesser races before they become a problem as the Scarrens and Nebari have?" Gaan was taking the hardcore PK line, as he always did. Not that he believed it himself, but by mouthing the words, he made himself seem loyal.  
  
Hort laughed. They had had this discussion many times and the script rarely veried by more than a word here and there. "No. That maybe it's best that instead of subjugating the so called lesser races, we should work together with them. If a species as pathetic as the humans seem to be, judging from the data recovered regarding John Crighton, can become as feared as he, in such little time, perhaps other races can help advance the Sebeccean people even further."  
  
"How can that be?"  
  
Switching the topic, Hort spoke. "Did you know that most of the technological and medical advances of the last 300 cycles have been made by members of the so called lesser races? That no Peacekeeper in over 400 cycles has advanced any area of any science in a significant way? That Peacekeeper technonlogy has remained static and unchanged in more than 1000 cycles. You could take a crew from a ship from that long ago and put them on a Peacekeeper ship and they would need only microts to catch up to our level. Yet the Nebari, Hynerians, and even the Luxans and Scarrens have continued to advance? That if it were not for the fact that we have stolen any tech that might be a threat, we would likely have been conquered centuries ago.  
  
"The only true achievements have been made by half-breeds such as Scorpius and by those Sebecceans in the Royal Colonies." he stated, studying the crew as he finished, trying to spot the spy. He easily picked out him out, disguised as a low ranking tech working on the conduits in the forward section of the bridge.  
  
The man was holding a tool near the electrical grid. Hort hid a grin. The man must not have been taught anything before being placed. It was easy to see that the tool he was holding was really a vid recording him and Gaan. If the conduit trully needed repairs, he would have picked a weld sealer, which still hung from his belt, instead of a beam scanner.  
  
"And that is why we are in such grave danger. The Scarrens have continued to advance, as have the Nebari. As much as we are taught to hate them, we are also taught to fear them. The idea of Sebeccean supremacy is a cover to hide that our leaders are afraid. They are terrified at the possibility of our destruction by one fo the other races and so they issue the policy of enslavement. That anyone who makes some kind of advance that is deemed a threat is arrested and tortured." He kept an eye on the spy as he paced the bridge.  
  
"But sir, we must protect our people from alien influence." stated a mid level officer from his station.  
  
"Yes. I agree. We must protect our people from outside influence, but that does not mean we must destroy those who might one day be our allies." His eyes raked the crew, his face set in a grim mask. "And I do mean our allies, not our slaves. Equal partners, sharing our tech and resources to keep the peace. That is what we were originally intended to do, after all. We are called Peacekeepers, not war mongers because we are supposed to keep the peace, not wage war and direct terror against those of the lesser races for the highest bidders."  
  
"Yes sir." the unfortunate soldier replied. He kept himself still, knowing the manner in which most officer punished those who questioned them.  
  
Hort held back his laughter as he stopped pacing. "Sound for a shift change. I want every member of the bridge to be rested in case of any problems. Report back in 4 arns. Gaan, you come with me. There is a situation I wish to discuss with you." He strode from the bridge, Gaan and his honor guard following. ************************************************************ 


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10 Planet Surface  
  
John, Aeryn and Jool stood in the large entrance room of the complex. There were only a few people in this hall, most of them seeming to John to have evolved from various species of Earth's big cats. He recognized several types ranging from lions and tigers to lesser species such as ocelots and lynx. If these were the main inhabitants of this system, than John was starting to think that perhaps some of the wilder UFO theories he had heard might have grains of truth to them.  
  
He noticed several of the larger beings wearing what must be uniforms. They were armed lightly, but John would not be surprised to find that they had heavier weapons nearby. Several others, wearing different versions of the uniforms and carrying toolbelts and electronic equipment watched them as they walked further into the building.  
  
Aeryn nudged him with her elbow and he turned to see what she wanted. She nodded her head to a door to her left and John looked over to see a what looked like a bobcat beckoning them. The two looked at each other and had a silent discussion ending when they turned as one to follow the relatively small felinoid. Jool followed them silently, occassionaly glancing at a screen on her kit.  
  
Seeing that they had noticed his gesture, the being turned and marched down the dark hallway. He said nothing to them and made no other move to acknowledge their presence. Feeling a little uncomfortable, John undid the strap that held Winona in the holster and placed his left hand on his hip, near a grenade. To his side he noticed Aeryn shift the strap of her rifle so that it would swing into attack position more easily. He heard Jool shifting behind them and glanced back with a grin.  
  
The small alien studied them for a moment, its eyes hidden beneath the hood of his robe. "The Coreager awaits you in chambers, John Crighton." The figure bowed and disappeared into the shadows.  
  
They stood waiting. There was not much light in the tunnel and though it continued on past them, there were several branches that they could see in the dim light. Silently, a door opened behind them, casting a bright light into the dark hall, causing them to shield their eyes. Once their eyes readjusted, they again held a silent conversation before stepping into the light, leaving Jool to wait outside the door.  
  
As the door closed behind them, John discreetly tapped his comm twice. He was relieved to hear the answering three chirps that let him know D'argo and Jool could hear them. Any problems would have made John tap three times, and Jool would bring down the house while D'argo stormed in demanding their return.  
  
John scanned the room, idly noting the furnishings and designs. He saw no one else in the room and moved forward, he sat in one of the chairs, comparing it's size to those he was accustomed too. Aeryn stood behind him, one hand on her rifle's grip, the other on his shoulder. The wall in front of them slid open and a large figure strode into the small room. It was hooded in a dark brown robe of a material John's mind categorized as wool or something similar. The figure took the seat across from John, gesturing Aeryn to sit. The Sebeccean declined with a quick shake of her head and remained standing, though she did ease her grip and shift the weapon behind her, moving fully behind John, her hands gripping his shoulders, ready to pull him out of the way should the need arise.  
  
"Greetings, John Crighton. I am Coreager Lyar of the Roamea. This planet is known as Ryra."  
  
"That's good to know. But what do you want?" John didn't let up an inch in his stance.  
  
"There is little I want from you. I have heard of you and your pursuers. I am also aware of why they search for you so vigorously. We Roamea have also developped wormhole technology. We have had it for decades. It freed us from the Scarrens and has forced the Peacekeepers to allow us to live in peace without their . . . guidance. You have no need to worry on that score."  
  
"You know a lot about me for someone I just met." John remarked calmly. He was used to being in this situation and it was still as annoying as the first time. A potential enemy or ally knew everything about him, yet he knew nothing about them.  
  
The lionfaced being grinned, showing rows of sharp teeth. "I see that my information was correct, you really are blunt to the point of rudeness." He tapped a long nail, nearly a claw against a recess in his chair's arm and a table rose between them. "I will not bore you with the sources of my information, but understand that they are only as acurate as the memories of those you have encountered. I have no images of you, unlike the Peacekeepers and Scarrens. I assume the Nebari also have recordings of you."  
  
"What does it matter?" Aeryn asked, her grip tightening on her lover.  
  
"No matter, really. Just want you to understand that we are not spying on you, nor are we attempting in any way to hinder your attemps. What my people wish is peace with you. We want simply for you to leave us alone. We have noticed that you have constantly gone against all logic in order to wipe out any wormhole technology. We wish you to understand that we have no designs on whatever it is that you are protecting. We use our technology as defense against our larger and more numerous enemies. We are willing to concede almost anything in order for you to feel that we will not misuse it in whatever manner you are so emphaticaly guarding against."  
  
While he spoke, the table top projected an image into the air above it. It was a 3d astronomical map of the Uncharted Territories. It was color coded to represent various warring races, including the Scarrens, Peacekeepers, and Nebari. Smaller sections including the Hynerian, Luxan, and Delvian sectors. There were some he didn't recognize, but knew from his own charting that they had passed through at some point.  
  
"As a gesture of respect, we offer you our mapfibers of all known space, including the misnamed Uncharted Territories and the dangers of Tormented Space." An opening of the table slid up and some roled fibers slid onto the surface. "I have here the Starburst coordinates your Leviathan would need to travel to any system in the galaxy. Luxan, Interion, Delvian, even Sebeccea."  
  
John leaned back in the chair stunned at the offer. For simply leaving these people alone, they would give them everything they had searched for ever since he had arrived in this galaxy. Dargo, Joolushko, and Rygel would all be able to return to their people and homes whenever they wished. He knew that Aeryn had been born and raised on a Peacekeeper base and had no reason to return to her people's home and many reasons to avoid going anywhere near there.  
  
"How did you get all these?" John asked.  
  
Lyar laughed, a sound that reminded John of the short grunts he had heard from various wild cats.  
  
"My people may not have been in this section of space for long, but we have been exploring ever since we reached sentience. For nearly 14000 cycles, we have traveled and mapped the galaxy on ships whose journey's lasted centuries."  
  
"So you're not really from this galaxy?" John asked.  
  
Lyar shook his head. "Ancient tradition states that our origins are most unusual. We began as simple creatures living peacefully on a planet a great distance away. Beings from the sky came down and captured several members of a variety of species. They took us abord their ship and began the travel here. They were a dying race, seeking to use our heartier genetic traits to cross with their own. They were a devout people and had laws regarding any experimentation on genetic material from intelligent races.  
  
They had often visited our original planet, gathering samples of wildlife and plantlife. From the records we have discovered, they were cataloguing the advancement of the dominant species on the planet. This species was advancing at a rate unheard of by our predeccessors. On the last journey to gather samples, one of the ships was shot down by the primitive weapons of this race. Afterwards, it was decided to avoid the planet until such a time as the race evolved enough for travel outside it's own system."  
  
John listened intently, suspicion turning to disbelief. He was having trouble believing what his mind was interpreting from Lyar's words. To his shock, he continued.  
  
"Data recovered from the ship before they had to abondon it indicates that the race had divided into hundreds of warring or near warring countries with allegiances based on religous, social and geographical locations. The ship landed in the southwest portion of one of the larger and more advanced countries. Luckily, all of the crew were able to abandon ship for lifepods. Further research gave us a name for the planet. The era in which most of the information was gathered named the planet as Gaia, or Terra, depending on which of the major powers of the time you listened to. We have often sought Gaia in the 12000 cycles since the last died, but have had no luck in finding it."  
  
John felt like he was drowning. He knew the story he was being told. Had heard of it since childhood. It was so cliche and typical that it was a joke. No one really believed, no matter how much they wanted to. Alien Visitation. Roswell. Crop circles.  
  
"I think I know where Gaia is." he stated slowly.  
  
Lyar stared at him, not believing his ears. "How could you know that location of the birthworld?"  
  
"John, what is it? What's wrong?" Aeryn asked, noting how pale her lover had become.  
  
"It's Earth, Aeryn. The planet he's talking about. He's just given a history of earth."  
  
"Don't be silly, John. That's not possible." she stated, trying to calm her lover.  
  
John stood and started pacing, a habit that had come about of his mental battle against the neural clone. "I know it's not possible, but it's true. Gaia, Terra. Aeryn, those are very old names on Earth. The Greeks and Romans used to call the planet by those names. They were two of the most powerful nations of their time. The rest, that ship that was shot down? It's a part of American mythology. You remember when I mentioned Area 51 and Roswell? Well that's the same thing. The story is an airforce jet shot down an alien ship and that it crashed in the desert near Roswell New Mexico. The government denied that it happened. They claimed that it was a weather balloon. A lot of people over the last 50 years have questioned them about it. Hell, they still deny that it happened."  
  
He whirled to face the large alien. "But I don't understand. That didn't happen that long ago. How could you have known that and been searching for Earth for 12000 cycles?"  
  
Lyar leaned back. "Wormhole travel often involves a time distortion. Our predecessors often used this as a means of verifying certain experiments. They had studied Gaia and other planets for millenia. My people were not the only ones they experimented on. There is a reason behind their refusal of altering advanced beings. Before that rule came into effect, they had often spliced genetics from various lifeforms to find which was the fittest. Some of the offshoots of the manipulations resulted in the creation of the Scarren and Sebeccean races. Others include the Iterions, which are rumored to be genetic relatives of ours, and the Feerawo who live in the seas of several worlds, yet are known by none save us."  
  
John collapsed into the chair, burying his face in his hands. 'Time travel! Why not? Why didn't I think of it before? Theory is that wormholes bend space and time. I was so concerned with the space, I forgot about the time.' "I think that's it, Lyar. They went back and forth in time on earth, testing us, seeing how far we'd advance. They took the genetic samples from earths animals and spliced them with their own DNA to create you. You started evolving at a rate they set and in a way they determined."  
  
Lyar leaned forward. "If what you are saying is true, then there is much we could share. The maps are yours, a gift as I said. But there are other ways in which we can help. Your Leviathian is unarmed and you have only 2 fighting ships. A prowler and a Luxan fighter we are not familiar with. We can sell you extra parts and even some of our own fighters, with the wormhole drives for information regarding Gaia." He noticed the tension rising in John's body and leaned back. "Understand, we have no wish to harm the inhabitants. We simply wish to ascertain if it is indeed the birthworld. Many of our people have sought Gaia in order to find more of the original stock. Some of our weaker members have died out, leaving holes in our society. We wish to fill those holes."  
  
"No deal. I'm not telling anyone how to get to Earth. Too much chance of the Peacekeepers or Scarrens following. Now that I know about the Chrystantheum that the Scarrens need and that it grows on Earth, I'm not letting anyone near it."  
  
"We have other offers." Lyar added, not wishing to antagonize Crighton more than neccessary. "Perhaps our genetic and biologial manipulation techniques?"  
  
"It's not that. I said I'm not giving the knowledge of Earth's orbit to anyone and I meant anyone. Sorry, but that's not on the table no matter what you offer." John started pacing again, pausing every now and then to glance around the room. "I don't have much else, but since you already have wormholes, maybe I can help you with that, somehow."  
  
Lyar regarded the man before him. If it was true that this Earth was the birthwold Gaia, than this being was a member of the race that ruled the birthworld for millenia. He would have information regarding the ancetors. "Would you be willing to provide us with some information regarding our ancestral stock?"  
  
John paused for a moment. "You mean the ones your predecessors used to create your people? I suppose I could, but I'm not a biologist. I don't know some of the midsized ones. I know mainly the large cats and the ones from back home."  
  
"That would be wonderful. We do not even know the names of any of them, as they labeled them only by species numbers." Lyar stood, ignoring the twitch of Aeryn's hand.  
  
"I guess I can do that. You look like a lion, yourself, Coreager."  
  
"A lion? Are they still in existence?" Lyar asked.  
  
John grinned. "Oh yeah. Lions are one of the two most often thought of when people think about wild cats. The other one is the tiger. Lions are native to a continent called Africa. They roam the plains in packs. The males have long, thick hair around their heads which we call manes. People who think of lions think of the males. We call them the king of the jungles. When a lion roars, it can be heard for several miles in each direction. The female is the real hunter. A male will have a pride, with several adult females, the cubs, and a few young males. The young males are driven out as they reach maturity and often band together in small groups of three or four to aid each other in hunting."  
  
Lyar chuckled. "That is very similar to how we manage our youth. There is a period of time, during our adolescence when the young males are separated for two cycles from the rest of our society. They are sent into our forests where they work on their survival and learn to control their impulses. The females have a similar period of adjustment during the same time. It solves a lot of problems. We have adopted a family structure that differs from that used by our ancestors. Males are outnumbered by at least three to one. Most males end up with 2 or 3 mates. Occassionaly, a truly exceptional individual might end up with as many as ten."  
  
John grinned and shook his head. "And how many do you have, Coreager?"  
  
Lyar snapped his teeth in a gesture John thought to indicate pride. "5. Two of them are of a lesser class, but I see no reason to treat anyone differently passed on the genetic forefathers. What is the other you mentioned? Tiggare?"  
  
"Tiger. About the same size as a lion, but the females are pretty much the same size as the males. Tigers usually have orange fur, with black stripes. Big paws, bigger than a lions. Tigers, unlike lions, are more solitary. They don't live in family groups. They're a little more agressive than lions, and might be a bit stronger. People who are interested in the big cats, often try and compare the two to see which is the 'stronger' or more dangerous. They're a little more spread out than lions, living mostly in Asia, a much larger place than Africa. There also a kind that comes with thicker, white fur with black stripes. Those are called Siberian. The other two main subfamilies are Sudanese and Bengals."  
  
Lyar made that same snapping sound. "One of my mates is like that, with the white fur and black stripes. She is nearly my size. As soon as I won her attention, she made it known to my other mates that she was prime and that they would obey her. She also had a new dwelling built for her private use."  
  
John pulled on his lower lip. "What about your other mate? Any special markings?"  
  
"She is slight, much smaller than my other mates. And her claws do not retract. She is somewhat brighter than my other mates, with circular spotting on her fur. Her muzzle is not as pronounced, but she is very quick. Her clan where often used as scouts and message barers due to their speed."  
  
John nodded. "That's based on the cheetah. The cheetah is the fastest land animal on Earth. The claws sticking out like that help with traction and quick turns."  
  
Lyar again made the snapping sounds. "My mates will be very pleased with your information. Our conversation, as I am sure you have guessed, is being recorded. When I show them the clips, they will be quick amazed. Perhaps one day, you will change your mind regarding the coordinates of your world and we will be able to visit it. You have convinced me that you are indeed of the birthworld. I look forward to further discussions, but now, I must join my superiors so we can discuss what you have told us." Lyar stood, waiting for John to rise before continuing. "I wish you to know that the message you have been receiving from the PeaceKeepers is safe. Is is not a virus or trace program. It is simply a message. And it is not from Scorpius or anyone you know. Though Officer Sun might have heard of some of the people they represent."  
  
"We'll see, Lyar. We'll see." John stated as he and Aeryn left by the door they had entered. ************************************************************ 


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11 On Moya  
  
"Frell you, you gray trelk!" Rygel screamed in his puny voice. "You cheated!"  
  
Chiana huffed in annoyance. Anytime the deposed Dominar lost, he accused the winner of cheating. "I didn't you frellnick. I won fair and square. It's not my fault you didn't remember that four of a kind beat my 2 pairs. If you can't remember the hands, you should have the old man make a sheet for you, like this." She slid a thin film of paper out of her ever present glove. It listed the winning hands in poker, in the proper order. "And I can't help it if you fart everytime you bluff." The helium released from Rygel's gaseous emitions made the squeaky voiced Nebari's voice even mousier.  
  
"I do not fart. I merely release some poisonous gases from building up in my body. I must remain in good health if I am to regain my throne."  
  
D'argo chuckled from his seat around the card table. He gathered the cards and started shuffling them. "You should have better control over your excitement by now Rygel." He dealt the cards slowly, his large hands engulfing the double deck they used to play. John had said it was best to play with at least four people, but the three were playing alone. Stark was off in his room and the others were not back yet. So instead, they dealt an extra blank hand. If that hand turned out a winner, the pot stayed until one of the three players won. The most recent hand, which Chiana won with a neat little bluff and two pair over Rygel and he, had netted her four hands worth of chips.  
  
The chips were representing extra supplies that they had picked up from a slave world they had helped overthrow and the supplies they just brought back. They'd had a bit of luck on this planet and most of their food storage area's were full. It was ship parts and supplies that were low. And fresh food, since most of what they had was frozen and processed to a consistance not unlike food cubes. Though they had managed to get a quantity of vegetables and tubers that would last for a few weekens.  
  
They had set the table up in command, so that they could be closer to Pilot. The large purple being was watching from the clamshell, as Moya calmly floated through space. This was one sector where they could feel slightly at ease, despite the Peacekeeper presence near the planet their friends were visiting. Moya kept an eye on the Pk's from her place among the asteroids, but while it was obvious they knew Moya was there, they were making no moves towards her. One of the reasons for this was likely the three dozen native ships patrolling the sector.  
  
Moya had already picked up signs of a recent firefight between some ships she recognized as a Marauder and a pirate vessel of Sheyang design. From the debris and the emisions floating in space, she realized that the natives had destroyed both vessels utterly, leaving nothing larger than a dench wide in their wake. Scans of the ships showed power levels in the light cruisers as being equal to those of a command carrier. No Peacekeeper would dare attack in this sector with only a single carrier against the thirty ships, each as powerful or more powerful than it. She had then picked up a repeating broadcast stating that this was a neutral space and that they would allow no battles to take place in their territories. She had withheld that information from her crew, not wanting to get their hopes up in case something happened.  
  
"Pilot, have you heard from the others yet?" D'argo asked as he passed out the cards. He hated waiting here on Moya while the others might be in danger. Once John and Aeryn were in the room for a few microts, Aeryn had sent him a signal to return to Moya using a set of prearranged signals on the comms. D'argo had wanted to ignore the signal, but listening to the conversation he had felt it best to heed the warning in Aeryn's messages and return to the leviathan.  
  
He had left Jool on the planet, not because of any particular trust in her skills should something turn sour, but more for the fact that his ship was here on Moya and he was the only one capable of piloting it. He had wanted to return to orbit, but Pilot had shown him the scans on the powerful craft in orbit and he realized that his ship would be useless against them in such a strong gravity well. Besides, having Jool there meant she wouldn't be on Moya and he needed a break from the whining Interion.  
  
"So Pilot, any news from the Peacekeepers?" Chiana asked in her regular breathless vocie.  
  
"Nothing, Chiana. They are holding position in a rather defensive stance. They are maintaining communication silence and as Far as our sensors can tell, they are actually, guiding stray craft away from the belt we are hiding in."  
  
D'argo grunted. "That just proves that they know we are here, but they aren't foolish enough to risk coming into this mess after us."  
  
Pilot's image on the clam shell screen flickered for a moment. "I feel that you should know, that the inhabitants of this system appear to have a very powerful fleet. They are broadcasting a message that they will not tolerate any attacks on any ship in their system."  
  
Rygel snorted. "What would Peacekeepers care for the edicts and sanctions of such a small system? They could simply bring in a few more command carriers and wiped out every living thing in this system."  
  
"The ships of the natives of this system are dispraportionate to their size. Each of their light carriers, which are only slightly larger than a Maurauder, has the same firepower as a Command Carrier. They have 16 of those class ships in our sensor range, as well as several more ships of a size ranging from similar to a leviathan to larger than a Command Carrier. Not even the Peacekeepers would risk an all out war against a species this far from their main fleets."  
  
"Impressive." D'argo stated as he looked over his hand. He placed his bet, and watched intently as the others placed their own. "They seem to be larger than the Sebaccean norm. Some of them make me look small. I'd hate to have to fight my way through a ship of them." He looked impatiently to the small Dominaar.  
  
Rygel considered his hand before snorthing. He threw down three cards. "Three, you farhbot Luxan."  
  
D'argo handed him his cards. He turned to Chiana, who threw down two cards. "Two for me, D'argo." She got her cards and gave a chuckle. This wasn't much of an indicator, as she did so for each hand, but D'argo's sensitive sense of smell could tell that she was pleased with her hand.  
  
There were too many smells coming off of the Hynerian to be able to tell his emotional state, but like they had stated, he tended to fart when he was bluffing. D'argo could not detect the helium that the Hynerian released in that case, and after checking his hand, threw the cards down in disgust. "I fold." he stated flatly, knowing a hopeless battle when he saw one.  
  
They were playing a variation John told them was called Five Card Stud, but as they were using a double deck, they had added a few of their own rules. Mostly to deal with the possibility of getting five of a kind. They'd decided that the extra card would only come into effect on the chance of two of them having four of a kind. If one of them had a fifth card matching their four, they would win, even if the other person had a higher numbered hand. This way, someone with five two's could beat someone with only four of everything else.  
  
"I hope they get back soon. I hate being this close to a Peacekeeper vessel." D'argo stated as he watched Chiana and Rygel try to intimidate the other into folding. "Pilot, any further information about the Peacekeepers? Have they made any moves that might indicate their intent?"  
  
"Not at this time, Ka D'argo. They still seem to be avoiding approaching Moya, though they must be aware that we are here since a standard patrol for a flight of prowlers would lead them to this area of the system. Officer Sun has loaded several flight simultations and patterns into Moya's memory and the ships are very clearly going out of their prescribed routines to stay away from us."  
  
D'argo grunted. "That means little. Perhaps they are simply waiting for Crighton and the others to return before attacking us."  
  
************************************************************ 


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12 Daystrom Institute  
  
Data and Laol were strolling the halls of the Institute, pausing occassionaly at various doors, were Data would introduce her to the scientists inside. Part of his mind was still working on discovering possible reasons for Tam Eldrin's return, while the rest was analyzing his reactions to Laol's introduction into the Daystrom Community. He struggled to understand why he would feel pride in her behaviour and the reactions others had at meeting her. There was no logical reason to feel this way, but he had heard from other parents and seen himself, that parents often took pride in their childrens success.  
  
The pair returned to what was now their quarters. They sat at the dinning table, just relaxing in each other's company. Laol noticed a painting from an artist she didn't recognize and walked over. As she did, she began to notice several other paintings, some of them of various crewmembers she recognized from the Enterprise, but in period clothes for other times. There was even one of a man who looked like her father, though his skin was more human toned, and he had blue eyes. He was also older than her father appeared and something about the painting tugged at her memory circuits.  
  
She turned to find her father standing a few feet to her left. "Who is he, father? I feel.. . I feel as though I should know him."  
  
Data took the steps to join his daughter. "He is Dr. Noonan Soon. My father. He is the one who created Lol and myself. We were based on his apearance as a young man. That is why I allowed you to decide your own appearance. Lol and I were designed to mirror Dr. Soon's appearance."  
  
She turned back to the painting, her mind working rapidly. "He is my ...grandfather?".  
  
Data paused. It had not occured to him before, but perhaps Laol wished to know more of the previous generations of androids that led to her creation. Geordi had told him that children were often curious about those who came before them and that many people, human or otherwise, based great status on their ancestors.  
  
"Yes, Laol, he is your grandfather. Would you like to see an image of your grandmother?" he asked.  
  
"Do you have such an image, father?"  
  
Data strode over to a recessed cabinet and opend the door. Prominently displayed were a wall mounting with his service medals, a handheld holoimager of Tasha Yar- currently off, and a framed photograph of the woman who had been his mother. He removed the picture carefully and passed it to his daughter, deciding that should she inquire he would tell her the truth regarding the woman in the photo.  
  
Laol took the photo and studied the face of the woman. She was an older woman, but from the photo she still appeared in good health. She was smiling into the camera, her hair styled and small earing in each of her ears. She was wearing a formal dress and standing in front of a podium in a hall Laol did not recognize.  
  
"Where was this taken, father?"  
  
"In the General Assembly of her homeworld. She had just presented an idea for improving the conditions of their world. It was a relatively new colony and some distance from well used travel paths. It was a world that had until recently been deemed uninhabitable but advances in terraforming made by Dr. Soon and by herself had allowed the world to thrive. Though our first meeting was quite painful for her, we later resolved the dificulties and became closer. We wrote monthly up until her death and per her instructions, I buried her in space, in a gas nebula she had long considered the most beautiful."  
  
She handed the photo back and returned to the paintings. She studied the faces she recognized in the settings she didn't. She would place time periods on most of the styles of clothing and furnishings. But the placement of the people in the settings was incorrect. There was one of Lt. Cmd. Worf wearing court robes in the hall of an English castle, sitting in place of the King, a large golden batleth replacing the traditional sword. Dr. Crusher wearing a ballgown and dancing with a man she didn't recognize. Searching the starfleet personal banks, she found a match.The man was her husband, who had died several years before her first incarnation. There was even one of Cmd. Riker wearing Native American facemarkings of the Navajo tribe and brandishing his spear at a large grizzly bear.  
  
Captain Picard wearing traditional outfit of Vulcan design. The most striking however was probably of a blonde woman she didn't recognize wearing Klingon armor and wielding a batleth with an almost sensous expression and stance. She cocked her head as she regarded it, unsure of what the intent behind these images. Was the artist mocking the models, or bringing out a part of them that was hidden to most.  
  
"Who is the artist, father? And why did they paint the subjects in such a manner?"  
  
"I painted them Laol. It was an attempt to bring a measure of the inner nature of the model to the foreground. Worf's nobility, Riker's courage, and Dr. Crusher's love for her husband."  
  
"What of her?" Laol asked, gesturing to the blond woman. "Who is she?"  
  
Data moved forward, his hand pressing the canvas. "She was Lt. Tasha Yar. She was the first Chief of Security on the Enterprise. She was . .. killed a few years before you were born."  
  
Laol could sense the pain in her father's voice and wondered at it. That he could feel so strongly for a woman he had never known while in possession his emotion chip. "Was she special to you, father?"  
  
Data blinked and turned to consider the question. Returning to the cabinet he removed the holoimager and activated it. Tasha's image played it's message. "She was my friend. I cared for her as much as I could, before the emotion chip. It . . . is painful to remember her death. Not long before, we had become intimate. I believe that she felt strongly for me. I am unsure if it was love, but she did care a great deal. And now, I am saddened that I was unable to return those feelings at the time and regret that I received the chip so long after her passing. I wish she could have known me as I am know, instead of how I was then."  
  
"I am certain that if there is such a thing as an afterlife, that she has kept an eye on you and would be proud of the changes you have undergone in the time since she died. I would think that anyone who could care for you in the manner you indicated she did, would be very happy that you would now have the means to return her feelings."  
  
"I would hope so as well." he said, taking some comfort in the words, even though he doubted the probability of the existence of an afterlife. And knowing that if there was such a place, he, as an artificial life form, was barred from ever seeing it as he had no soul.  
  
********************************************************  
  
On Command Carrier  
  
Noreg Hort smiled grimly while looking down at the remains of spies he had ordered executed. An arn before, he'd received word from his own agents that Crighton and his allies where leaving the surface of the planet. At this news, he'd nodded to his loyal members of the command center and the slaughter had begun. More than 4000 former members of his crew now lay in storage, awaiting disposal. Several of the patrolling ships, which had broken off and made to move against Crighton had been destroyed by the devices his techs had placed onboard.  
  
The time had finally come. His was but the first ship to take action against the disloyal members of their ranks. At his nod, a signal had been sent to all the ships involved in their mutiny against High Command. By the time he retired for the night, he knew that there would be untold thousands of fellow Peacekeepers lying dead in ships, on planets, and at various installations and bases through both the Known Territories and the Uncharted Territories.  
  
With a grunt, he turned from looking at the dead members of his crew. He'd served many cycles as commander of this vessel, and many of those now dead had served with and for him for much of that time. It was a harsh act made necessary by the unparalleled greed and ambitions of those in the current chain of command. A change was needed. The old guard had to be removed and new blood had to be put in place. The Scarren threat was too serious to be ignored and the commanders of the Peacekeepers decision to seek peace was follish and would lead to the death of all Sebacceans, not just the Peacekeepers.  
  
He strode out of the bay and signalled the tech waiting by the door coder. The airlock door closed, and the outer doors opened, sucking the air and bodies into the emptiness of space. It was a last act of respect for people he had once treasured as companions, and a few who had been lovers.  
  
As he rounded a corner out of sight of his remaining officers, he leaned heavily against the wall, wiping a hand across his tired face. He straightened as he caught side of his oldest friend waiting just down the hall, his back to his commander. He appreciated the gesture, knowing his friend would never admit to witnessing his moment of weakness.  
  
"Well old friend, the deed is done." he stated as he joined the larger figure of Gaan Reis.  
  
Gaan nodded and started down the hall, a data sheet held in his large hand and a comm unit gracing his head. "Yes, it is. Word has come through that the uprising has begun. Our ships have left their patrols, killing all the known spies and heading for an unknown section of space. Peacekeeper High Command has begun to order their loyal ships to seek the desserting vessels and to kill all remaining crew aboard."  
  
"How many will die, this day, Gaan? How many good, decent people will die because of a small number of greedy, power hungry fools? Were we right to do as we've done, my friend? Was the decision correct? Counsel me my friend. Would you have ordered it done this way if it had been your decision?"  
  
Gaan clasped his commander's shoulder. "You did what needed to be done, my friend. High Command has become corrupt and mad with power. A thousand cycles ago, we were as our name says: Peace Keepers. Now, we have become little more than hired mercenaries, killing and stealing for those who are willing to pay High Commands price. The old rules and laws had reasons to exist.  
  
Now, they have no meaning since the people who are supposed to enforce those laws have become worse than any of the offenders they'd tried and killed. Just look at the case of Aeryn Sun, who is on that vessel with John Crighton. She was deamed irreversibly contaminated by that fool Crais, simply for having been jailed with Crighton during the escape of the leviathan prison transport that now sits not 30 metras from our location. High Command has spent millions in currency in order to track them simply to capture the human, Crighton.  
  
The death of Tauvo Crais was tragic, but it was an accident. Independent reports from members of the crew have stated so. Crighton came out of the wormhole completely out of control, and Tauvo was unable to avoid the collision that lead to his death. By all reports of his flight leaders, Tauvo was only a fair pilot, and should not have been in that position during the battle. The only reason he was there, was because of Bialar Crais' sponshorship."  
  
Gaan paused as they reached a lift and entered it, heading up to the recreation deck. "Aeryn Sun was a superior officer. She was loyal, intelligent, and an excellent pilot and commando. By all rights, Crais should have commended her on her escape from the leviathan, even if she had the help of the human. Instead, he allowed his emotions to rule and ordered her to undergo the 'living death'. If he had been more stable, he would have seized the opportunity to seek the humans aid, though according to all reports, the human would not have been much help to any one at the time."  
  
Noreg snorted. "That is true. He had no knowledge that would have been useful. The only thing he had was the strange ability to bring together members of vastly different species into a somewhat cohesive crew. Despite, or maybe it is because of, their differences, they have managed to perform feats of daring and insanity that most intelligent beings wouldn't risk attempting. Individually, no single member of the crew is an exceptional example of their species. But together, with John Crighton driving them and using melding their abilities, they have become a force to be reckoned with in the known and unknown space."  
  
Gaan nodded. "True. Somehow, he was able to identify with each of them in some way that allowed him to get them to see the similarities in each other and come to care for each other."  
  
Noreg grinned. "Let us hope he does not kill us before we have a chance to advise him of the recent changes in the power structure."  
  
"Oh, of that I am certain. Though he is known for outliving his enemies and those who threaten his friends, he resorts to violence only as a means to an end. As long as we make clear that we mean him no harm, than he will listen to us with a nearly open mind. More open than the others in his crew. No. Crighton will be easy to convince. Even the Luxan, Ka D'argo and the Hynerian will listen to our requests. The true opposition is we face is Aeryn Sun. She, better than all the rest, knows Peacekeepers and the way the corruption has invaded the ranks."  
  
******************************************************** 


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13 On Planet  
  
"So we all set to go, Sunshine?" John asked as he strapped himself into his module.  
  
"Everything is fine here, Crighton. What is that Erp expression? Let's blow this popsicle stand?" Aeryn grinned, even though she knew John couldn't see her.  
  
"Jool, you got that package we came here for?" John asked, having lost track of their recording device.  
  
"Yes Crighton. I'm running some scans on the information we downloaded to test for viruses and tracing programs. I doubt we'll find anything but it's better to do it now, before we read it on Moya and some type of hidden signal is sent out over her systems."  
  
"That's the idea of keeping it in that box you got until it's proved the message is clean, Princess. Any way, we should stop chatting and start flying. We still have a command carrier in this system somewhere and I for one, don't feel like getting into a fire fight today. I'm in too good a mood from finding what might be wormhole charts that will lead to Earth."  
  
"Don't forget John, that the charts also have time markers that could aid you in reaching earth at about the same time you left. You could make it look like nothing happened or that your experiment in gravitational acceleration was successful." Jool exclaimed as the scientific principals ignited her mental juices. She loved nothing more than exploring new science and nothing was as new to anyone as wormholes. "I'm really looking forward to going over the data we received from the library. Some of the medical files looked very interesting. I'm certain there's a complete Scarran biological profile in here, and with it, there might be a way to synthesis something that could weaken them without making it necessary to kill every one of them we end up facing off against."  
  
"I couldn't care less about the damn Scarrens after everything they've done to us, Jool. I hope they and the Peacekeepers wipe each other out and take the Nebari with them." John finished his preparations and began the take off sequence. The modified jet/hetch engines kicked in, and the Farscape pushed off the ground and was streaking towards orbit. Not far behind, Aeryn and Jool followed in the Prowler. They had more than enough parts to repair the rundown vessel, and they still had to come back and pick up the shell of another prowler they were hoping to get operational.  
  
The only weapons John had allowed on Farscape were the wormhole displacement engine and a puny close range frag cannon. It was only slightly more powerful than the personal frag cannon Aeryn sometimes used. Even with Dargo's powerful fighter, getting a second Prowler seemed a good idea. It was an upgrade from what they had previosuly had, and Aeryn would move to pilot it, while John would switch to her old Prowler if they needed a third vessel to protect Moya.  
  
The trip was short and quiet. They passed several other ships landing and taking off and John even took a moment to buzz a Prowler patrol, trying to see what their reaction would be. Fortunately for all concerned, there was no reaction at all. The Prowler's had simply veered off and continued on a different patrol path that would allow them to avoid the fugitive crew.  
  
They docked on Moya and made their way to command, where they knew they'd find the others waiting impatiently for them.  
  
They took their usual seats at the round table and John motioned to Jool, who was connecting the data box into Moya's system. "Play it, Sam." he stated with a lilt in his voice, causing the other's to roll their eyes at his antics.  
  
The flickering holographic form of one of the oldest Peacekeeper's Crighton had ever seen. There was a large scar running down one side of his face, starting at the edge of his hair line, and running along the length of his cheek to the middle of his throat. It was a vicious looking wound and john wondered how he'd managed to survive. The face scanned the gathered crowd, and John realized that it had an interactive element to state the message to him first.  
  
"Greetings, John Crighton. I am First Admiral Jedon Pashka. I come to you with a message regarding your previous exploits in our region of space. High Command has come to a decision regarding your pursuit, and it is my duty to inform you that they are no longer willing to tolerate the loss of more Peacekeepers to the foolish quest against you and your compatriots. Included in this message are full pardons and amnesties for all members of the crew of the free leviathan, Moya. We grant these pardons on simply one condition: Leave us the frell alone! Stop your mad quest to destroy us, and stay out of Peacekeeper territory. Do this, and you need never again fear Peacekeeper attack squads or assasination patrols. As long as you stay out of our territories, which are also listed in an amendment to this message, we will never again bother you. We will allow you to go unhindered about your business, as long as you do not interfere with ours. Should you happen upon a planet with Peacekeepers on a mission, they will do their best to avoid you, as long as you avoid them. Stay out of our business, John Crighton, and we will stay out of yours. This message has been relayed to all Peacekeeper vessels. Any future interaction between Peacekeeper forces and the crew of Moya will be cordial, but restrained." The figure glowered at him for a moment before shutting down.  
  
John whistled. If the offer could be considered as honest, it was much more than he had ever expected. "So what do you say, guys? Think old Admiral Pushup is telling the truth?"  
  
Aeryn frowned at her lover, unsure why he continued to deliberately misuse the names of those he encountered. "I am unsure. I have heard of the First Admiral. He is among the most decorated and feared members of High Command. It is said that he never says something he does not intend on saying and that he will fight to the death to accomplish any goal he has set for himself. If he says that High Command will no longer interfere with us, than I would be forced to believe him. If this is him, however. It could be another trick, using his image since they are aware of his reputation. Though, he would be most put out if that what so, since they are using him to spread their lies."  
  
D'argo snorted. "I trust one peacekeeper, and she is in this room. No. I can not trust this Pashka, but what do we have to lose? We can find an out of the way outpost, or track a ship, and follow. See if their word is as good as they say."  
  
Chiana spoke next. "I have to agree with Dargo. I don't trust anything a Peacekeeper says, even with a pulse pistol aimed at their mivonks. We should test them first, before doing anything else. Maybe, maybe a transport pod or your module, John." A wicked grin crossed the cesspool that passed for her mind. "Open a wormhole up right next to a command carrier. See if they open fire."  
  
Jool snorted at her suggestion. "Are you forgetting that they are at war with the Scarren's? If a wormhole opened near a ship, they'd assume it was the Scarren's or Scorpius and open fire before they took the time to check the ship's identification."  
  
John turned to Rygel, who had been imprisoned for hundreds of cycles under various PK commanders. "What about you Sparky. Can we trust this guys word, or do you think we should try Dargo's idea and follow a PK ship."  
  
Rygel's bushy eyebrows wagged and his froggish face contorted into as close as it could to a frown. "I have heard of Jedon Pashka. He is reputed to be strict but fair. It was said that he was the hardest to serve under, as he demanded utter perfection from his troops, but that he would punish only those that disobeyed his orders or went beyond the scope of his orders. He is quite strict and formal. When he gives an order, he expects it to be followed to the letter. No deviation or embelishment is allowed. I suppose that if there was one Peacekeeper whose word we could trust, it would be his." Coming from the deposed dominaar this was a rousing statement of respect. Rygel had never complinented anyone in this manner, and if he felt that the man could be trusted, than John was inclined to trust the former royal. Rygel was a lot of things, but trusting and trustworhy, he was not. But he always somehow found a way to help the crew, and John knew there was more to the Hynerian than he let on.  
  
John stood and paced, debated the words of his friends against his experiences with a multitude of insane Peacekeepers. "Here's what we'll do. We'll coast over to that carrier here. We know they won't do anything, since the ships patrolling this space will destroy anyone who does start an attack. We'll hail the ship and play the message for them. Then I'll ask if Aeryn and I can come aboard to trade for provisions and parts." He held a hand to forestall the forming of any arguments. "I'll insist that we be allowed to come aboard armed, and I'll agree to a guard with us at all times. I'll bring that list of parts we brought to the planet. We managed to get most of them, right? So if they say no, it's no big deal, and if they say yes, then it's always a good idea to have extra around." He leaned heavily on the console, studying the faces of his friends. "While Aeryn and I do that, D'argo and Chiana will go pick up that second Prowler Aeryn saw on the planet. She say's it's spaceworthy, but take no chances. Go in full space gear. D'argo can fly the prowler back, and Chi will bring back the transport pod."  
  
"Are you sure that's wise, John?" Jool asked, worry marking her orange face. "They said to stay away from them. Wouldn't going up to one of their ships be the same as entering their territory?"  
  
John grinned cockily. "That's why we're doing this here. At least here, we know the locals are somewhat on our side. I'd rather do it now then wait. If they let us onboard, and we aren't back 5 arns later, contact the Coreager and let him know what's going on."  
  
Rygel snorted. "And how do you know you can trust the Coreager?"  
  
John laughed and tapped his head. "The same way I dealt with Scorpy, Kermit. I have something they want desperately. And they'll do anything I want just for a faint glimmer of what I have in my head."  
  
D'argo swore under his breath. "More frelling wormhole seekers!" he snarled.  
  
John smirked and shook his head. "Not this time. They already use wormholes. Nope. This time, its the history and geography of Earth that they want."  
  
"What could they possibly want with that information?" Chiana asked, not seeing how some admitedly scattered memories of Crighton's homeworld would be of value to anyone.  
  
John slapped his hand on the counter top, causing them to jump. "Because their ancestors, the species they evolved from, originally come from earth. They aren't the original inhabitants of this system. They were genetically engineered to take over when that race became the victims of a virus. They had visited earth and took several samples of certain animals, not too unlike their own ancestors, and started forcing their evolution into a similar path to what we saw on the planet. They want to know their history and see the creatures they were created from. And that's a bargaining chip that only I have. As long as I give them a glimmer of hope that they'll learn about their past, than they'll do pretty much anything to keep me safe. Including going to war with the PK's for me."  
  
"Can you be certain of that, John? Can you trust these people we've just met?"  
  
John grinned and chuckled. "Yes, I am, and yes we can. It's more than just mere facts to these people. I know their history, what they are and where they come from. All of you know what it's like to be taken from your home, from the world's you know and sent so far away it's damn near impossible that you'd ever find them again. That's what those people down there are feeling. That same drive to get home. That's not their world, and this isn't their system, no matter how long they've been here. They were brought here as experiments, as things for the long dead race that created them to play with and to replace them."  
  
That was a sentiment they could all share. Each had been searching for their home for quite sometime. Or in some cases, a place they could call home, even if they refused to admit it to themselves.  
  
Daystrom Institute  
  
Data nodded as he listened to his captain explain the current situation approaching his temporary home. "So you as certain that it is Tinman, even though there has been no communication with Tam."  
  
The bald held nodded in the distinctive manner he'd come to identify as meaning his captain was frustrated but unwilling to discus his stress levels. "It is Tinman, Data, but it's changed. Dr. Crusher believes that it has evolved into a different form, as thought it were preparing itself for a dangerous journey."  
  
"And the current theory you and the crew have is that the journey is to the original galaxy from which Tinman came to our region of the universe." Thought processors faster than those of many of the newest computer models projected various scenarios through Data's lower level mind. A theory, which his current information led him to with a 90% probability, drifted to his more concious mind.  
  
"Captain, I have a theory as to the purpose for his return." he stated, a faint thread of doubt in his voice.  
  
The captain smiled. "I'm guessing that your theory involved Tam wanting you to accompany him on his journey."  
  
Data grinned. "As they say, Captain, 'Great minds think alike'. That is indeed the most likely position for Tam to take. I assume that Captains Riker and Worf concur with the assesment or you would not be contacting me at the moment. What can I do for you, Captain?"  
  
Picard leaned forward, his fingers steepled. "What I am about to ask you, Commander, is a great sacrifice. I am aware that you have recently had success in returning Laol to life, and I am pleased that she is alive once again. Yet, in the interest of current Federation politics and the damages we sustained during the Dominion Wars, personal interests must be pushed aside. I am asking that if Tam does request that you go with him, that you do so."  
  
Data again tilted his head. "I see no difficulties, Captain. Though I would need to be reassigned from your command."  
  
Picard leaned back in his seat. "Data, I was asking how you would feel about leaving Laol behind. Who knows how Tam would react to her."  
  
"I can see no conflict in Laol accompanying me with Tam. While it is true that Laol does not posses the capacity to turn off her emotions as I do, her neural net does allow her to dim them to a level well below those even an empath as powerful as Tam might have difficulty detected."  
  
The older man sighed and hesitated before phrasing his next remarks. "What about your work, Data? I know that you see her as a daughter, and I can understand your emotional ties to her, but she represent a revolution in android technology, and please forgive me for saying this Data, but do you think it's a good idea to place you both at risk by sending you both on such a quest? If anything happens to her or you, it would take years before another sentient android could be built."  
  
Data allowed his synthetic facial tissues to form a small smile. "Ah. I understand. There is no longer any worries in that field, Captain. With the newly designed brain Dr. Maddux and I designed for Laol, as well as the furtherance of synthetic fibres and servogears and motors, we have now reached a point of equality with the works of Dr. Soon. In some ways, thanks to the breakthroughs in design made by Dr. Maddux and myself, we now have the ability to construct a superior model." Data allowed a mischevious quality to spread his smile. "In fact, I have been considering . .. upgrading myself as it were. Compared to Laol, my own positronic network is horribly slow and outdated."  
  
Picard flashed his longest serving crewmember a grin. "Sort of like a doctor being the first in line to try a new surgery tha might solve a problem they have."  
  
Data gave a short bark of laughter. "A quite appropriate analogy, Captain."  
  
"So you are willing to go, should Tam ask it of you? And you would also bring Laol? Are you certain she is ready for that, Data?"  
  
"I have no worries, Captain. I have instilled in Laol all of my own knowledge and experiences. She has already shown a remarkably keen mind. She was able to solve a minor fluctuation in the shield matrix that had been puzzling the station crew for some time. The only thing she currently lacks is the personal experience she could gain from interacting with others. It is much like the situation I was in when I was first reactivated when the Starfleet personel found me. I had all the theorical and practical knowledge but lacked the interpersonal skills I learned thanks to the experiences on Enterprise. Do not worry, Captain. I feel that this journey, should we indeed be correct, would be a perfect learning experience for my daughter. Not to mention, that while a Starfleet presence might be needed, it might be a . . . cautious idea to have myself and Laol go in place of . . . other sentient races."  
  
Picard grinned again and took a sip of his ever present tea. "I agree, Data, though I also think it might be wise to include several others with the party. Worf has volunteered to go. He feels that his second has earned a Captaincy, and though he has not been a Captain in his own right for long, he is tired of the bureaucracy."  
  
"Do you think it would be wise? I mean no offence to Captain Worf, but he is quite volatile and prone to emotional outbursts."  
  
"That is my concern as well. It is why I would also include Lt. Cmd. Yasha Taree. She is a Angrogein. They are what is termed 'mind blind'. They project a sphere of influence around themselves that blocks all telepathic contact. Not even a Vulcan Mindmeld can penetrate into an Androgein mind. They are also powerful warriors. If I remember correctly, she is currently on leave pending assignment. I happen to know, from a reliable source, that she has been quite eager to meet our Captain Worf. His reputation as a warrior has spread in the galaxy and has lead to his ship being considered a prime opportunity for both Klingon warriors and other aggressive species. As long as she is no further than a dozen meters from either Worf or Tam, then Tam would not be bothered by any unwanted intrusions into his mind."  
  
"I would suppose that would be acceptable. Though with Tam, it will be difficult to get him to agree."  
  
"Well, we will have to wait for him to arrive. Tinman seems to be speeding up slightly, according to the last beacons he passed. Estimated time is now down to a few hours."  
  
Data nodded to his captain. "I will be prepared to leave, should that be what he wishes. I have already made arrangments with Dr. Maddux and the Admiral to end my tenure on the station and return to active duty. I have decided to leave Lor here with the doctor in that hopes that he will be able to find some way to learn from Lor's body what they wished to learn by disassembling me. Laol is also prepared to travel. Either way, if he wishes me to accompany him, or if I return to the Enterprise to resume my duties, my time here is ended."  
  



	15. Chapter 14

I want to thank all the people who have taken the time to read my stories and to review them. I also want to appologize for how long it's been taking me in updating and writting more. RL is a pain in the a##, and while I have been fleshing out little bits here and there, I haven't really been able to get myself in a grove on any one story.

I'm kind of in a jump around phase at the moment, doing later scenes and chapters for stories and jotting them down and then trying to figure out how to get there from where I currently am.

Not to mention That I don't really have the most comfortable arrangement for heavy duty typing at the moment (comp. desk broke and still haven't gotten around to getting new one. have PC on my kitchen table, but not good setup at moment for comfortable typing. My hand starts to cramp up after a few minutes, where in my old setup (before moving and broken desk) I could type for as long as I had ideas. Heck, most of my stories get 30k words (about 100-140kB) on the first night of work of about 4-5 hours.

Anyhow, let's get on with Chapter 14 of Displacement.

Farscape Module

John and Aeryn remained silent as the tiny ship approached the massive form of the PK vessel. So far there had been no incident. After leaving Moya, John had flown slowly, but on a dikrect course for the Command Carrier, even going through the flight paths of dozens of escort vessels, which simply veered off and resumed their patrols around the central ship.

John maneouvered the hybrid craft to a position directly in front of the Carrier's largest cannons and pulled into a stop. He opened a channel and broadcast the message from the First Admiral. He let the message play through twice before closing the channel and waiting.

10 microts passed in silence, with Aeryn fiddling with her rifle and pistols while John mentaly tried to frame out as confusing a statement as he could. Which was harder then he thought since even though his shipmates always claimedh is speech was nearly incomprehensible and his earth idioms and references annoying, he had never sad and tried to deliberately make a speech so vague.

Eventualy the com chirped and John answered.

"Peacekeeper Command Carrier, this is Commander John Chrighton of the IASA vessel Farscape, now operating out of the free Leviathan Moya. I am requesting permission to come aboard your ship. My companions and I have need of supplies only available aboard a Carrier and are willing to trade. We request safe passage for 2 beings and a meeting with your quarter master if you agree to allow us aboard." He turned off the send signal and left the reception on while turning to his lover. "So, think they'll let us in?"

Aeryn considered her words and ordered her thoughts. "I am unsure. I do not recognize this ship and have no knowledge of its command structure. Most PK commanders I have experienced would go out of their way to avoid even the hint of disobedienced or manipulation when it came to the orders of the First Admiral. Even Crais at his worst would not do anything to cause Admiral Pashka to question his loyalty or trustworthyness. If the commander has indeed received this message or orders that coincide with the message, than it is possible. But the message said only that they would leave us along. Trading with us, allowing us to board. That strays into the realm of helping us, and I don't know if Pashka would accept a vessel aiding us if he meant strictly for them to avoid us."

John shrugged. He'd be happy either way. If they ignored the request, fine. They didn't really need the parts, but it would be nice to have a second set of spares, especially some that hadn't been salvaged from wrecks. If they were allowed on, then it would give them a chance to see just how trustworthy they could be. While he would never share the Equations with any one, he did have ideas on other means of defeating the Scarrans that he might possibly be willing to share if he could find someone, just one species, he could trust enought to share them with. If he couldn't trust the Peacekeepers, then he'd go to the Coreager and offer his services to them. This was a nice little system, and with the crew now having all the charts they needed, as well as a healthy amount of safety, perhaps they could rest here a few monens. Maybe take a cycle and relax before hitting the free space and continuing their mishmash of quests and journeys.

"Commander Chrighton, this is Peacekeeper Command Carrier 'Freedom Reigns', formerly known as 'Swift Vengeance'. Captain Noreg Hort wishes to extend to you his invitation to dine with him and discuss possible trade negotiations. Due to recent events, we are prepared to allow you to come aboard with no special ammendments. Though we wish to extend our word that you will come to no harm aboard our ship, we will not force you to disarm as is customary when receiving visitors of 'foreign' origins. Please, proceed to landing bay where a delegation lead by Lt. Gaan Reis will be awaiting to escort you to the Captain's mess. Command Carrier 'Freedom Reigns' out."

John blinked. "Okay, that was weird. Did you catch anything odd about that , or is it just me?"

Aeryn frowned, though she knew her lover couldn't see her. "It's highly odd that they changed the name of the vessel. Such things usually only take place after massive changes in the command structure or if a vessel suffered heavy losses and a name was deemed unlucky. Something happened, and I am not sure what. The ship has no obvious signs of damage, yet with a change in name, there should be some event, usually a battle that would cause much damage. And the name. It is rare that a Peacekeeper vessel would have such a . . . peaceful name."

John shrugged, deciding that whatever it meant, they'd deal with it once aboard. "Well babe, let's find that landing bay and meet up with this Nog Hoot guy."

Resigning herself once again to the inability of her lover to remember even the simplest of names, Aeryn corrected him gently even as he guided the small craft towards the area containing he landing bays. "It's Noreg Hort, John. I've never met him, but I've heard a little about him. And before you ask, I've just heard the name and that he is a brilliant strategist and that serving on his ship is one of the highest postings before reaching command rank yourself."

"Oh well, if you've heard of him, maybe he's heard of you. I mean, before I dropped into your life and shot it all to hell." John carefully landed his module next to a Prowler, deciding that if they had to fight their way back out, Aeryn could always take it. From the tap on his shoulder, he knew she understood his planning. They waited for the bay doors to close and for it to repressurize, fully into their 'game' faces. Now they'd trully see how good a Peacekeeper's word could be.

Tinman

Tam Eldrin stood as the Starfleet personel were beamed into the command center. He eased some of the restraints he kept on his gifts and was surprised to note that there was a blankness where the new crew stood. He easily recognized Data and Worf, though the others were unknown to him.

"Hello, hello. Welcome to our. .. my ... .we welcome you aboard." he stated nervously as he stood from the chair and approached the 5 beings standing in almost parade ground attention. "Data, Worf. It's good to see you again. I'm glad you agreed to join us on our journey, and I'm sorry I wasn't able to give any more time to allow you to set your affairs in order, but we must hurry if we are to make it to our destination on time."

Data cocked his head as Worf and the others looked around. "If I may ask, Tam, what is the hurry? Surely a journey to the galaxy you have indicated will take a significant amount of time?"

Tam paced wildly, still probbing at the blank area where the others stood, trying to find out why his mind wasn't being overwhelmed. "Hhm? Oh, sorry Data. It's been a while since there's been anyone else but me and Guarm. In fact, it was extremely difficult for me to send the message asking you to join us." He paused for a moment, staring at the group. "How are you doing that?"

Data blinked and twitched his neck to the other side. "How are we doing what?, Tam?"

"Blocking me. You are totally blocking me, and I can't get even a glimmer or echo of your minds. I don't understand how this is possible. I've never had any problems picking up Klingons before, so I should at least be able to read Worf, but . .. nothing."

Data turned to the others to see what answers they held. It was a being he had not met until just before beam out who stepped forward.

"Tam Eldrin, I am Lt. Cmd. Yasha Taree. I am Angrogein. My people have the inate ability to block telepathic and empathic abilities. In fact, any of the tele or psychic gifts. We project a zone around us that blocks all of those abilites. It has been tested and not even the most skilled Vulcan Mindmelder is able to so much as catch a flicker of thought from us. No one really no how or why we evolved this gift, but any being within range of us is also blocked. Oh, two telepaths can still 'speak', but they can't reach anyone without that gift, or even cross species. So Vulcans can only reach Vulcans, Betazeds only Betazeds, and so on."

Slightly worried, Tam reached out and let out a sigh of relief that he was still able to reach Guarm. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Lt. Yaree. Er, not to be rude, but how far does this null zone extend? I would hate to be overwhelmed if you were too far for you companions to block out their thoughts."

The Lt. smiled. "You don't have to worry about that, Mr. Eldrin. You see, while my people don't understand why we give of this field, we do know what causes it." She gestured to the crates that had been beamed aboard with them. "In those crates is a biosynthetic processing node. Actually there are several. With your, and Guarm's, permission, I will set them up at regular intervals through out the ship. This will allow you, Mr Eldrin, to block out any stray thoughts that might escape, while keeping the mass thoughts of your new crew from even registring on your mind."

Tam frowned, not fully following what she was saying. "And that means, what, exactly?"

"It means, Tam, that you will have control over who and what you read from any mind within the perimeter of the nodes. Except of course for Lt. Yaree, and anyone within 5 meters of her. No matter how many crewmembers you take on, you will never again need fear for your sanity. At least, while you are on Guarm." Data stated as he approached his one time friend. "There are ever several remote systems that can be worn on your clothing, or possibly embedded beneath your skin that would allow you to leave Guarm should you ever have need to do so."

Tam thought for a moment. While he never wanted to set foot off of Guarm, he did realise that a time might come when they reached the Home Galaxy that he would need to do so. Having these nodes would be a tremendous help, even if they were only a quarter as effective as Data and the lt. were claiming.

"Set them up then, Lt. Now, I believe there are still 2 of you I have not been introduced to yet?"

--------------------------------------

AN:

hope you liked this chap. any guesses about why they need to hurry? and any suggestions for the yet unknown or named 5th person? Race, name, special talents (engineer, geneticist, anything else?), doesn't have to be from ST, but if it is, please, no crew from series (except possibly Excalibur book series) and if it is ST, only living(no back from dead or alt unis.). Hell, it can even be from a race you make up.


	16. Chapter 15

Yes, it's me again with another chapter of my story. Hope you enjoy as you've enjoyed the others.

Oh, standard disclaimers apply, yadda yadda yadda.

On PK Carrier

Lt. Gaan Reis had done many questionable and possibly immoral things in his 70 cycles as a Peacekeeper. Things so horrible that to any other race, he would be a criminal of untold proportions. If not for the faceless masks commandos wore and the habit of only calling each other by rank instead of name, his name would be up there among the worst wanted felons by the Races. Fortunately, his position as a Peacekeeper had kept him safe from retribution. His actions had never sat well with him, but he had been well indoctrinated by the Peacekeeper training programs and had never disobeyed an order, no matter how distasteful.

Yet he had never found an order as hard to obey as the one his long time friend and commander had set him at this time. For cycles now, John Crighton had been a name used by High Command to terrorize troops into committing ever increasing degrees of attrocities. The threat of being sent to serve under Scorpius or Crais had been usurped by a threat to be sent to serve them in their insane quest to find the 'human'. The human had somehow become the most wanted person in the galaxy. Somehow, he had convinced Aeryn Sun, one of the most recognizable PK commando's to help him, and to accept the aid and friendship of many diverse and often adversarial species. He had somehow brought together a group of various excaped felons and forged a crew who's deeds had become legend among the masses of races.

So now, here he was. A hero to High Command, and a felon to all other races, waiting with a squad of 12 honor guards for the most famous and well known figure in recent times to board his ship. He was well aware that having John Crighton as an ally would cause many of the undecided in the Peacekeepers to turn on the High Command and join the cause, yet he also knew that many others would recoil in horror at the thought of allying with the man.

Himself, he wanted nothing to do with Crighton or his crowd. Too many interested parties were after the knowledge rumoured to be held inside his head and for revenge for the deaths he had caused. Crighton was dangerous in more ways then one and he would rather not try to handle that danger. He might not have approved of High Command's treatment of other species as lesser beings with no worth, but he didn't trust non-Sebeceans and while he had no personal quarrels with Luxans, or any of their other so called allies he didn't trust the reputations of those he had heard of. Most were no better or worse then any others in the Peacekeeper corps, and he knew some of the sick, twisted people in the ranks.

So here he was, once again being forced to perform a duty he hated. At least this time, the duty was one that was slightly more acceptable than killing women and children. He watched as the famed module entered the bay and wondered how such a primitive vessel had ever been spaceworthy enough to even manage a single flight through normal space, yet alone survive multiple trips through the chaotic environment of wormhole space.

The ship set down and was soon followed by a Prowler, which performed a textbook landing only denches from the module. Gaan could see that the module had been heavily refitted with various technologies and he had to admit that whatever else he was, John Crighton was an amazing tech, especially considering his primitive origins.

On Carrier

John watched and studied the little crowd of PK's who were waiting for him and Aeryn as he set the Farscape down and waiting for Aeryn's Prowler to settle. While he waited, he ran a final systems check, and set a few minor saftey traps to insure that his module was not tampered with while he toured the vessel. Hearing a faint thump he looked to his left and saw the Prowler come down with breathtaking precision only inches from his wing. Nodding to Aeryn, he popped the hatch and slid it back so that he could stand.

He stepped out of the cockpit and onto the wing, waiting as Aeryn made similar preparations as his own to her ship before joining him. He carefully Slid down the wing and gripped the edge to help slow the drop while Aeryn simply stepped off her shorter wing and easily absorbed the 4 foot drop to the ground.

Together they moved towards the crowd, making sure to keep their hands away from their weapons. Aeryn had left her rifle in the Prowler but was wearing a pair of pulse pistols on her hips and he knew she also had at least 1 knife and a few pancake bombs on her. He was simply wearing Wynona in her customary holster and had added a second pistol in an ankle holster on his left leg.

John was able to immediately pick out the person he'd been told would meet them as not only was he the largest of the PK's he'd ever seen, but the man was standing and staring at them with less hostility than any other PK officer he'd ever met. He still hadn't figured out the PK's ranking symbol system too well, but the ease with wich the large man stood, slightly ahead of the armed guards, and the fact that while the guards were armored and heavily armed, he was only wearing a pistol and a large knife on his hips indicated that he was the one who'd been sent to greet them.

With a nod to Aeryn, he took a half step in front of her. "Well howdy folks. Nice to see y'all. I'm John Crighton, and this is Aeryn Sun. I'm sure you've heard of us. Now, I'm guessin' that you'd be Lt. Reis? and that these fine fellows are the escort your comm told us would be meeting us when we came aboard."

Gaan frowned slightly, schooling his face quickly at the sharp glance thrown at him by Aeryn Sun. "I am Lt. Gaan Reis. I am instructed to assure you that so long as you do not threaten, attack, insult, or belittle our crew, you are to be unharmed in any way and that you are free to leave at any time and that no one on this ship will hinder you in any way. While there are some ares that are off limits to you for security reasons, you are free to roam the sheep and speak to any member of the crew you wish. They have been instructed to answer any and all questions you have of them, save those that deal with classified materials and tactical situations. If you will follow me, Captain Hort is eagerly awaiting your arrival in his mess and has had a selection of delicacies from various worlds prepared."

John and Aeryn nodded, not having expected anything less or more from the Captain. They followed right behind the huge man as he strode from the bay, the honor guard fanning out behind and beside them. As they travelled the ship, John made a point of stopping at various sections and talking to some of the techs and lesser ranked crew that were stationed around the ship. Reis didn't make a fuss about it, though it was clear that he'd rather John have not kept the captain waiting.

Having served on vessels identical to this one, Aeryn was impressed by the attitude of the crew. Though there seemed to be a rather larger number of maintenance and repair staff about then she'd ever seen outside of the aftermath of a battle. And though the crew seemed almost upbeat, there was a darker mood running just below the surface, a mood she had felt herself on many occassions after loosing friends in a battle. The effect given was that the ship had just been through an intense battle and lost a great many crew, yet there were few signs of the battle, no damage, and in this sector anyway, there had been no space battle. The only thing that would give the same atmosphere of a battle yet show so few signs would be a mutiny, but she knew that Hort had been in command for many cycles. Perhaps a failed mutiny, repulsed by Gaan Reis and his staff?

She decided to ask at the first opportunity.

On Tinman

Worf growled as he was again sent slamming into the mat by his opponent. He quickly rolled to his feet and spun, intending to teach his enemy not to anger a Klingon, only to find that she was gone. Glaring, he turned slowly, allowing his senses to work for him, trying to pinpoint her location. She was a challenging opponent, more challenging in some ways then any of the Dominion warriors he had faced durity his captivity at their slave camp.

She was not as strong as hiim, but she was just as skilled, and in some ways, even more skilled then he. He would have to rely on tactics and intelligence instead of brute strength to win this battle. He grinned ferally and ducked as a hint of air warned him of her attack. He had not had so much pleasure in a battle since sparring with Jadzia back on DS9 before her death. A momentary pause took him as he realized that this was the most social interaction he'd had with a female crewmember since that painful time and he shook his head. As much as he missed Jadzia, part of her lived on in the Dax symbiote and they'd already come ot the conclusion that continuing their former relations was not appropriate.

It was now more then 4 years since he'd lost her, and perhaps it was time to look to the future. Kahless permitting, he had at least another hundred years to live, and that was a long time to spend alone. He had been lucky twice in his life to love 2 amazing woman in Jadzia and Kehlar. He had a grown son, who while not the warrior he might have wished, was starting to become a man he was proud to call son. They had had problems in their relationship, as Alex had been thrust into his life suddenly upon Kehlar's death at the hands of cursed Duras. He ahd not been prepared to be a father, especially to a child who cared nothing for Klingnong culture that Worf honored.

Alexander, or Alex as he prefered, had for a time tried to be the son he thought Worf wanted, attempting to become a warrior, but his talents had lain elsewhere. He had become a competent bridge officer on a Klingon vessel, and an adequate fighter, though he would never be the fighter Worf was. Worf was still proud of him, proud of the way he had stood up for himself against the insults and condescension from the Klingon warriors he served with to become a crewmate they were proud to serve with.

He twisted and lashed out with a palm strike to where he thought his opponent was standing. He was surprised to miss and grunted in pain as he felt a painful strike against his wrist followed by a powerful kick to his ribs. A less solid being would be gasping in pain as he ribs shattered from the force of the blow, but Klingons were a sturdy people and it take a great deal of power to cause their skeletal structure to break. Klingons had evolved on a dangerous world, and their evolution had led to several features to increase their chances of survival. As well as a super dense skeletal structure and muscle density resulting in strength far beyond physical appearances, they had several redundent organs including a second heart, third lung and kidney, and they could survive on less oxygen and water then most humanoids.

So though Yashe Taree's kick would likely have broken the ribs of a human, or even a Vulcan, the kick didn't even have the force to stagger Worf, but it did get his attention. He spun and lept, easily jumping a height equal his own stature. He spun in a forward flip, pushing against the bulkhead above to add momentum and lashed out with a fist, managing to catch the Angrogein female in the shoulder, spinning her on her feet. As he past her, he twisted to face the ceiling and hooked his leg around her knee, tripping her and causing her to land on her back. Worf continued his momentum, sliding along the smooth flooring of the converted bay they were using for a helf dozen meters before kicking his legs up into a back role and coming to a crouch, baring his teeth and growling loudly at his opponent.

Taree had already recovered from both strikes, kicking up to her feet in a classic martial arts move. She struck a stance modified from ancient Chinese Wang Fu, and waited for him to continue the attack. She was breathing heavily, and Worf could see the beginning of a bruise forming on her cheek from where one of his earlier attacks had landed. He felt a surge of satisfaction, even as the pain from his own injuries throbbed. She might have landed more blows, but his had landed with more force, and in a real battle, it wasn't the number of strikes, but the location and force of the blows. He might have pulled some on his punches slightly, but she had struck full force with all her blows. His earlier attacks had consisted of the blow to her cheek in retaliation for several strikes to his face causing blood flow, and he had also managed deliberately weak blows to her neck and vital areas, including some that if he had used his full force would have shattered her own ribs and shoved them into her lungs and heart, and others that would have broken limbs.

They circled each other, Worf in a crouch while Taree kept in the stance. Worf was the first to strike, lashing out with a powerful sweeping punch, which Taree avoided while simultaneously bringing her back foot up in a rising kick the Worf had to role to the side to avoid. He sprung back to his feet and started to throw a kick, but a shrill beeping sounded, and he pulled his leg back. Watching her carefully, he took three steps back and stood at attention until she matched his pose. Then he bowed to her and she returned the sign of respect. Formalities done, he strode over to the small bench upon which he'd dropped his towel, and passed her one while he wiped down his arms. Usually, he would spar in a gi, but he had worn only the pants today, while she wore standard issue Starfleet exercise gear.

"That was a very stimulating match, Captain." The Angrogein stated as she wiped the excess moisture from her face. She watched as Worf took a bottle of water and swallowed half of it before offering it to her. She took it without hesitation, and downed the rest. She was very pleased with what she had seen of the Klingon so far. He had more than lived up to his reputation as a warrior, and his strength! She'd not felt such powerful strikes since her Circle of Growth challenges. Angrogein females were physically superior to the males, and she was one of the top ranked fighters among her people. She knew Worf had pulled most of his blows, and she was grateful for that fact.

It gave her a great appreciation for how much he must keep himself in check when sparring or battling less physically challenging races like humans and others. She wondered if he was a typical Klingon in that or if his strength was even greater then his Klingon ancestry would normally dictate. She had known several people who were far stronger than what their genetic heritage and physical appearance would seem to grant them. The humans had a saying "He's stronger than he looks." that she felt applied to Worf. He was by no means the most massive figure she had known, having met many who were larger and more massive then Worf, but she had not struggled against them as much as she had against Worf.

"It was quite invigorating, Commander. Tell me, how long have you been studying the human martial arts? I recognized several moves from a variety of disciplines." Worf stated, redressing in the shirt he had removed for the match.

Yasha gave an appreciative smirk as she watched the thick cotton garment slide up over the pronounced spinal ridge. She was facinated with races who had ridge like body features as her own people were uniformly smooth skinned and bodied. Their hair was more like down fur then many species. When they had first met humans, they had been amused to learn that humans had thought they were statues come to life. Upon finally opening a dialogue, they had been shown vids of examples of earth's greatest artictic treasures, and even they had to admit that the human given nickname of 'Marbleskins' was quite appropriate.

"Why did you decide to come, Worf" she asked suddenly, startling the Klingon. "Why give up command of the Defiant, something you saught for so long, just to go on a journey that you have no way of knowing if you will even make it to the destination, nevermind returning from the trip."

Worf paused, staring at the wall while considering his reply. "I have lived my life as a Klingon among humans. Though I have tried several times to rejoin my people, I have found that I have grown beyond that childish belief. I have lived a lie that my people forced on me. A lie that stained my honor and made me an outcast to those same people. I was forced to admit that it was my father who betrayed our people to the Romulans at Khitomer, while the true betrayor mocked me with my rightful seat on the Council."

He turned from the wall and stared at her, causing a shiver of sensation to course through her body. "So I rededicated my self to Starfleet. I rejoined the people who took me in and who had fought to prove my honor. I swore to uphold their beliefs and honor their customs. Even after I regained my honor, and proved beyond all doubt who the real traitors were, I was still not accepted by my people. I brought Kahless back to my people, and still they deny me my rightful place. My brother died to prove our worth, and still I was an outcast. I transfered from security to command and from the Enterprise to DS9. I was again challenged, this time by a slip of a woman who housed within her a symiote centuries old.

A symbiote known and respected as a warrior and diplomat to my people. She was a challenge both physically and mentally, causing me to seek constantly to improve myself as both a warrior and as a commander. We married and it was glorious! But she was killed, tossed away like nothing more than a used towel by a being who was a traitor to all. I grew tired and sought captaincy of the Defiant and fought during the war against the Dominion. I insisted on a joint crew of Klingon and Starfleet personnel. My son joined my crew and we got to know each other. We served well and brought honor to our house.

I am tired of trying to walk the line between Klingon and Starfleet. I am both, yet I am neither. I am too Klingon to fit within the Starfleet command structure easily, yet too human to fit among fellow Klingons. I simply wish to find who I am. Who Worf, son of Morg and Ivan Ruschenko is. This journey, going to a galaxy that knows nothing of Starfleet or Klingon offers me that chance. A chance to learn who I am and who I can be. That is why I joined this mission, and that is why I am here now."

"A noble goal, for an honorable man." she stated, matching his stare. Her blood was still pulsing strongly in her veins, though instead of battle rage, she was filled with a different longing.

"What of you, Yasha Taree? What brings you away from Angrogein space? Your people, although warriors, have avoided most of the major conflicts of recent times until the Dominion War. Why are you taking this task upon yourself"

She let out a harsh laugh. "As you say, my people are warriors who have avoided conflict. We did so because we saw that eventually, even the most volatile races of our galaxy would find common ground and stand together united. And we have. Romulan, Human, Vulcan, Klingon and a hundred others joined together to fight the Dominion for they knew that the Dominion was a larger threat to us all than they were to each other. And so it was time for us to act. As for why I have taken this quest for myself. I am the greatest among my people. I have won so many tournaments, that several were renamed in my honor. My name is sung among my people as the standard for which we must strive. I am over a hundred and fifty years old, Worf, and I have yet to meet my match in battle.

I have travelled and fought many races, including Klingons and I hve found no equals. My races inate ability to block telepathic communications has been sought after by many enemies and yet we still stand, as allies to those who used to try and steal from us. I have listened for years to reports from various sources, trying to learn of those who could be my match. To find a male with whom I could bring forth the next generation. Though few know it, I have fought Galron, Martok, and Durass. I have faced Kang, Kor, and Kodoss. I fought the Dax symbiote in three incarnations. Yet never have I been defeated. Until today. I have thrown some of my most powerful blows at you today, Worf, blows that have broken warriors of considerable reputations.

You are different, Worf. Even for a Klingon. Somehow you are stronger than any Klingon I have ever met. That kick I landed earlier, I have used that to break the skin of Gallanites and to shatter the chests of Orion slavers. You are familiar with Zak Kebron? You were in the academy together I believe. I have battle several of his race in one on one fights, and have emerged victorious, managing to break through their rock hard skin. You should not be standing now, Worf, son of Morg. I have followed your career for years. When I heard the request come through for an Angrogein, I jumped at the chance to meet you. The only reason I am here is to meet you and see if, perhaps, you might be open to the possibility of honoring me with a child."

Worf frowned. After Jadzia's death, he had not considered entering another relationship. He had had two great loves in his life and did not wish to lose a third. Yet, perhaps, it was time to start looking to the future and put the past behind him. Alexander was always asking wether he thought he would find another mate.

"I . . . . This is rather new situation I find myself in here, Yasha. I have not considered another mate. I have outlived the two greatest woman of any species I have ever known. I will need time to consider your request. As for the other matter, I do not know. I have always though myself no different then any other Klingon. Perhaps Data can run some scans and see if something is affecting me in some way."

She bowed to her fellow warrior and smiled a fanged grin at him. "That is all I can reasonably expect, for thrusting this on you so suddenly. Until you decide, I would consider it an honor to arrange daily sessions with you here in order to keep our mutual edges. We are going to a dangerous galaxy and it would not do to be at less than our best when facing those unknown dangers.

Worf simply nodded his approval and strode from the room, seeking out his longtime crewmate and friend.


	17. Chapter 16

It's that time again, here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoy it. The (hopefully) long awaited confrontation between John and a PK captain, and Tam explains how they are going to travel the vast distance to Guarm's home galaxy.

Wormholes ahead, ho!

909090909090909090909090

On Carrier

John was starting to annoy their guide, and Aeryn knew it. He had insisted on greeting each crewmember, tech or commando and learning a little about them, extending their time on the ship and delaying their arrival in the captain's presence. Aeryn could easily make out the signs of annoyance in the giant Sebeccean's manner, and wondered how long it would be before the man snapped at John. She, more then any other, was well aware of just how annoying John could be when he set his mind to it. This lead to many confrontations that might have been avoided with a little tact on his part, but had also saved there lives by forcing potential enemies hands earlier then they might have turned.

Still, she could do with less references to Earth in his casual conversations with the various crew they met. She might have grown to occassionaly enjoy hearing stories of his birthworld and had developped a wish to visit it if at all possible, but she was well aware that his casually mentioning that there was a planet with 6 billion plus Sebeccean look alikes who didn't suffer from heat delirium was like dangling food in front of Rygel's mouth. While the High Command had strict rules on interspecies recreation, many would seek out Earth simply to see if it would be possible to adapt human genetic material into Sebeccean in order to increase the resistance to heat in the Peacekeeper commandos. Even a slight adjusment could reduce the loss of life of PK soldiers as many of their enemies exploited the Sebeccean's genetic weakness.

It was a target that he was making ever more appealing to those in command, even while he actively sought to make it less so.

Sighing as he again regalled a captive audience of techs with stories of jurryrigging his module, throwing in the more then occassional Earth reference, she elbowed him slightly and cocked her head towards their guide, who was shifting anxiously on his feet.

Catching her meaning, he nodded and bid farewell to the group before turning back to the larger man. "So what's taking so long? Are we taking the scenic route? Thanks, but I've seen enough of these things to last a life time. Let's just go visit the old capitaino and see what's happening." He took off, leading the way unearingly towards the lifts leading to the captain's private level. As he entered a code into the keypad and the doors opened, he looked over his shoulder at the gawking group. "The rest of you coming?"

Aeryn shook her head ruefully as her lover again showed up the elite soldiers and crew of a Peacekeeper command carrier. His innocent rambling had lead to questions that they had all answered unaware, and had allowed him to know most of the secrets they might otherwise have died before revealing. He'd managed to get them to reveal msot of the passwords and codes to the ships inner workings, as well as the locations of those sections off limits to all but special crew and higher ranked staff.

In turn, he'd used that knowledge just now to increase the growing myth of his irrational behaviour mixed with a superiour intellect and far more knowledge then he really had.

909090909090909090909090

On Tinman

Tam waited patiently for the mishmash crew to gather. He knew, from Guarm, that Worf and Lt. Taree had been sparring in a makeshift gym, while Data and another Lt. set up the remaining telepathic block enhancers around the corridors. Laol had remained behind to speak with him and Guarm through him about the history of Guarm's species and how they came to be.

Truth be told, Guarm's memories were still a little fragile after the accident that had stranded him, alone, here in the Alpha Quadrant, but he was able to but up on a screen a display of some of the various Leviathians and the different life cycles they underwent. Of course, who knew how much they had been further altered in the millenia since Guarm had last been home. If was unclear even to Tam whether Guarm was still within the normal life expenctancy of his species, or if some side effect of the accident had multiplied or even shortened his life's journey.

Laol was enthralled by the images of packs of Leviathians flying in formation as they journeyd through the vastness of space. Guarm had even added the chatter of Leviathan communications to the images, though they were untranslatable due to their immense complexity and the frequencies needed to traverse even the relatively minute distances between the individual beings. Being that each ship was anywhere from 1000ft. to 500k kms apart, 'close' was indeed a relative term.

She asked Guarm to focus on the smaller ships and was further engaged to learn that they were the young of the larger ships and that the ships were indeed born, and not made. She asked for more details that the pair were more then happy to give, including how the images had been capture. Leviathans, from the time of birth to the time of death, were constantly taking 360degree images of their surroundings and storing them in archive for later comparisons. Older ships were able to ignore these images, but younger ships had to be trained to focus on specific data that their sensors were taking in.

Tam for his part was intrigued by the wonder that was Data's daughter. He had never expected to find his friend with a need to create children. Of course, the possibility of Data having such a basic need as fathering a child would never have occured to him either, but in a weird way, it made sense. Any sentient being had the drive to see its species perpetuated in it's own image. And even though Data had the potential to live nearly forever, as long as he occassionaly replaced worn parts, he was still as fragile emotionally as any humanoid race and would see the possibility for joy that having children could bring to a caring being.

And Laol was showing that while she still had the innocence and guilessness of any child, her knowledge was based directly from Data's and she knew everything he did and was as a consequence quite intelligent.

"Laol, why did you decide to come with your father?" Tam asked, still trying to get used to having to speak verbally instead of telepathically.

Laol turned away from the image of a Leviathan birth to regard her host. "I was only recently reactivated, and while I possess the sum total knowledge of my father, I have no actual experience in what is termed 'The Real World'. As my cerebral matrix is a prototype, I had the choice of either accompanying my father, or remaining at Daystrom until they were certain that my matrix would not suffer another collapse. While I was not active for long in my previous incarnation, nor in this current one, Data is still my father and I am still his child. I feel that my place is with him until such a time as I have gained that experience. Perhaps it will last as long as a human childhood, or perhaps it will only be a few short years, but he is my father and I love him. For now, I need his experience to guide me, and look forward to this chance to learn about things neither of us have ever witnessed."

Tam grinned. Trust a child of Data's to give a long involved answer when a much simpler response might have said everything she'd needed to say. "A fine answer, Laol, and I am certain that your father is looking forward to sharing his experience with you."

Laol smiled at him, before turning back to the images. "You are a lucky being, Tam Eldrin to be able to share the feelings and thoughts with such a great soul as this vessel."

Tam smiled and joined Laol. "It is the crowning of my otherwise mostly miserable life." At the blank look she gave him, he chuckled and continued. "I am Betazed, Laol. And even from a young age, my telepathic gifts far outstriped even those decades older then myself. I had little or no control over my own mind, and no one could keep anything hidden from me, even those few who had trained to hide their own thoughts, something that goes against Betazed nature. By the time I was your appareant age, in my late teens, I was totally unable to block out even the slightest thought of feelings of those around me. I could sense strong emotions even from orbit. This dictated that I seek a career in diplomacy, as I would be able to tell immediately if someone was lying to me during negotiations.

I had to use a wide variety of drugs to dull my telepathic gifts, but there were side effects, and one of those lead to a failed negotiation that cost a great many lives. After that, I resigned and sought out a place were I could live in seclusion, no longer able to even remotely function in anything near a normal life. Then one day, I had a dream. I heard a voice, calling for my help from a great distance. A few days later, I was contacted by StarFleet with the most amazing news. They had discovered what they thought to be a living ship and needed my help to be able to speak with it. There was some conflict about the ship as it was in an area quite near Romulan space. Eventually, myself and a boarding party from the Enterprise boarded, and I was bound to the ship. It was able to strengthen my mental blocks and I in turn was able to translate it's wishes and story to the others. It wasn't long before we started to feel the need to seek out any others of Guarm's kind who might still be alive. And so we set out to seek any signs of the Leviathans or the Builders.

We found only traces millenia old, but we also found a means to return quickly to Guarm's original galaxy, and be scanning through the wormhole, we found that Leviathans still exist though not in the numbers they once had nor in their former freedom. They were as virtual slaves to a race of beings known as Sebacceans. We weren't able to gather much data, but appearantly there are several races in a state of constant conflict and verbal warfare, much like the Alpha Quadrant. That is why I returned to Federation space and sought out Data's help. He is far more familiar with those situations then I am and by bringing him along, I raise the odds that Guarm and I will be successful in learning what has happened to his people and the builders."

Laol had listened patiently to the story as Tam explained. "And now, not only has my father agreed to join your journey, but so has Worf, Lt. Yaree, myself and Lt. Reed." she stated calmy. Her head tilted to the side and her eyes dimmed slightly in a guesture Tam recognized as being one Data often got when accessing files from his archives and not those near the surface of his mind. "You could not have chosen a better crew to joing you, Mr. Eldrin. Captain Worf and Lt. Yaree are experts in both armed and unarmed combat, as well as covert tactics and spacial warfare, should such be needed. Lt. Reed is an excellent linguist, and also comes from a long line of StarFleet security and communications personnel. He is a descendant of two senior officers from the original StarFleet ship Enterprise, serving for years under the captaincy of Johnathan Archer, and later under Captain T'Pol Tucker. Linguistics and combat are bred into his blood and he will be an excellent asset to this journey. As for myself, while I have no personal experience, I do have the combined scientific knowledge of StarFleet, the Vulcan Science Advisory Council, the Romulan Science Consulate, and even the Klingon Science Databases. I feel I will be of some help should you need aid of a scientific nature."

Tam chuckled, feeling more at ease around this crew then he had around any one but Guarm. He had a feeling that it was more then just having his ability blocked. Data and Worf were among the few people who he had ever felt comfortable around, and Laol was obviously well along the way to joining them as a friend. And from the little he'd spoken with Reed and Yaree, they too were going to be easy to get along with. Reed seemed to be much like Worf, in that he was a straightforward and open person. From what Tam had seen, he took great pride in having control of himself and his emotions. SOmething that Tam could respect.

"I'm sure, Laol, that you will be a great asset on our voyage. Especially if you are as fluent as your father in various languages. I've noticed that we've brought along a lot of security and tactical gear, but little communications or exploratory facilities. It would be a great help to us to have you and Data here as the two of you are about the only multilingual people on board. I myself speak only Betazed, and I know Worf only speaks Klingon and English. I don't know about Lt. Cmd. Yaree, but if Lt. Reed is as capable as you say, you will be a great help to us by being able to compile data more quickly then the Universal Translators can. Plus, you'll be able to process the data about the various species and possible conflicts in that region of space more quickly then even Guarm and I."

Laol nodded, well aware of the advanced nature of her positronix matrix. With the combined scientific and medical nature of most of the Alpha Quadrant at her disposal, she could indeed crossreference any scientific or biological data at a far greater speed then the equipment StarFleet had sent along. A feeling of anticipation started to fill her as she realized for the first time that she would indeed be of value to their mission beyond being just her father's daughter. Her face broke into a huge smile as she thought of several things she could now do to fill the time until they reached their destination, beginning with compiling an abridged version of StarFleet history and languages to share with whoever they discovered.

"Thank you, Tam, for providing me this opportunity to make myself useful as more than a scientific curiosity. I will go now, and begin compiling data PADDS of information on StarFleet and the Alpha Quadrant history to provide any potential allies we might encounter. While I do possess the combined knowledge, I shall endeavour to search the databanks in order to gain personal conprehension of the knowledge I have been provided. I will focus on medical data and on linguistics studies, as well as engineering. In that manner, I will be able to provide my father and Lt. Reed assistance in their assigned fields." Nodding again to Tam, she left the room with a noticeable bounce in her step.

Tam smiled and chuckled as he watched her leave, enjoying her enthusiasm now that he wasn't being bombarded with it. He felt Guarm's amusement as well and sat back in the raised seat. "Yes, Guarm, children are indeed as boyant and open no matter what their species."

END CHAPTER

AN: Q: if Tam only speaks Betazed, how come everyone else understands him?

A: The bane of Star Trek- Universal Translators. Little super comps that translate any language into something that the wearing understands, even a language they've never heard before. In my story, the UT will NOT be able to translate the languages from Farscape, so they actually have to STUDY the languages of Sebecceans, Luxans, etc... Tam, though as being Guarm's Pilot, will be able to communicate with them, as Guarm translates for him, but only Reed will be getting the Translator Microbes of Farscape, as Klingons and Angrogeins biology doesn't allow them to bond with their brain. And Data and Laol are 'artificial' beings so the translators can't bond with their positronic matrix so those two have to compile a working version of the languages. Perhaps, they will find a way to combine the biotech microbes with their UT's and hardwire a sort of patch to their own networks to allow them to communicate.

The only reason Reed gets them, and that John's works, is because, in my world, and if you followed PK WARS, it's explained that Sebecceans were originaly taken from earth and genetically altered and forced evolutioned by the Eidelons. Which is not the same as the race that took the Felinoids. Well, the Eiderons didn't say it was earth, but it's obvious from the way they spoke about it that it is Earth. Which explains how Iterions and Sebecceans are so similar. In my world, Iterions were another of the Eiderons little genetic experiments. Except they had to change the outer appearance. So while Iterons are genetically more similar to humans, Sebacceans are more ouwardly physically similar.

Hope that explains a bit of what is going on and what is going to happen.


	18. Chapter 17

It's that time again, here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoy it. The (hopefully) long awaited confrontation between John and a PK captain, and Tam explains how they are going to travel the vast distance to Guarm's home galaxy.

This time I mean it!

Wormholes ahead, ho!

909090909090909090909090

On Guarm

The small crew had gathered in what had been designated as the bridge. Laol and Reed were seated next to each other, discussing something in quiet tones as they passed PADDs back and forth between them. Worf and Lt. Cmd. Yaree were also passing PADDs, though theirs contained possible threat analysis' from the data Tam had provided on the races Guarm remembered from his home galaxy. Data was reviewing some information regarding the new matrix he and Maddux had created for Laol. He was working on a menas of possibly transferring such a matrix to replace his own positronic matrix. It wasn't quite compatible with the rest of his systems but he was working on a way of modifying both the new matrix and his imcombent systems to make it possible to upgrade to the faster and more efficient system. He was also trying to find a way to make it possibly for him to be able to handle any future upgrades more easily then he could at the moment.

Tam walked in to the room and took the seat next to Data. It was a small square table, with 2 seats o neach of it's side. As Tam sat, a stalk extended from the walk and formed into a screen that showed an image of the galaxy they were going to be visitting. It eventually zoomed in to show a planet sircling a binary star system. It was a gas giant, with 12 moons, the largest of which was nearly as big compared to the planet as Earth's moon, which was something quite unusual. It continue to zoom onto the planet, showing a city nestled into a large tropical forest. Then it focussed on a single building and then through the wall to a being standing over a worktable. On the table were design plans for a large ship.

"This is a planet in the Degana system of the galaxy known on Earth as Gallinea. It is the homeworld of the Builders and of the Leviathans. Originally Leviathans were a race of gas grazers who had evolved in the atmosphere of the gas giant the Builders world orbitted. They evolved a rudimentary intelligence and language. They were peacefull creatures, but had evolved defensive systems to protect themselves from the floating debris of the surrounding asteroid field and the few other creatures that had evolved in the planets atmosphere. Eventually, the Builders were able to receive and translate the Leviathan language. They made an agreement with the Elders of the Leviathan race. Leviathans were curious beings and wanted to explore the entirety of space, but could not survive long outside of the atmosphere of their home.

They agreed to allow the Builders to alter them to serve as vessels and provde them with the means to travel between the stars that they so loved. In return, the Builders would provide the means to make certain that no Leviathan would ever be forced to endure their greatest fear: Loneliness. Leviathans could not survive being separated from each other and the Builders were able to tweak their nervous system so that they could physically bond with another being's nervous system. They were also able to give the Leviathans the ability to Starburst, enhancing their defensive reflex of explosive shockwaves into a stardrive system that would allow them to travel the stars and escape their enemies. They left in them the ability to grow further weapons, though they placed locks on those genetic traits, making it only possible to access in very extreme cases.

Eventually, as they explored, the Builders continued to evolve and all the Leviathans had left the world. Millenia passed and the Builders no longer had need of a physical form. They found another race, on a backworld planet, who was similarly constrained by their physiology to their world and offered them the chance to bond with the Leviathans and travel beyond their planetary boundaries. In time, the Degana stars lifecycle ended and they collapsed to form a Nebula cluster. By this time, other races had evolved and were exploring the stars. The Leviathans and their Pilots gave their service to these races until a dark race began systematically subjegating the other races, including the Leviathans. Leviathans had become slave labour, transporting troops and cargo where their PeaceKeeper masters wished. Long before then, though, some Leviathans had left to explore other galaxies, and Guarm was stranded here, in the Alpha Quadrant.

While travelling through nonAligned space, we found an anomoly. Eager for a new experience, and drawn by the pleasant sensation Guarm could feel eminating from the anomoly, we went to study it. We found that it was a stable wormhole connected to Guarm's original galaxy. Guarm could hear the chatter of fellow Leviathans coming through the wormhole. Guarm sent some queries back through, and though they were surprised, they managed to explain the recent history to their predecessor. That is what I am explaining now. So that you are aware of what we will be facing. The PeaceKeepers have continued their ironfisted rule over the other races of that galaxy. They and two other races are currently in the opening stages of all out warfare.

The other races, one called the Nebari and the other Scarrens, are in their own ways even more cruel then the Peacekeepers, who are a race known as Sebecceans. Sebecceans are apparently not native to the galaxy, but where brought there originally to serve a race known as Eidelons, who were the dominant race of their time, not long after Guarm left the galaxy. Eidelons had the ability to proces the emotional make up of entire races and bring peace to warring races and species. They formed the Peacekeepers as a means of keeping the peace, though that purpose has long since been tossed aside.

While the Sebecceans rule their space through violence and a firm grip on maintaning genetic and cultural isolation, the others are in their own ways much worse. The Nebari control their entire population through various mind controlling drugs and behavoural modification. The Scarrens are the most physically dominant species, with other genetic gifts. They are also among the cruelest as they seek to dominant the other races through their sheer physical might and battle prowess.

The Peacekeepers have been stagnating, not advancing much at all in the thousands of cycles since their inseption. They are dying, and they know it. There rigid control of all aspects of their lives has resulted in the loss of innovative thought or originality. They are for all intense and purposes mindless drones. Their few advances were either stolen from other races, or were the result of the work of the few crossbreeds that they allowed to survive.

There is a new player in the game, that seems to be the catalyst for the resent escallation in the various conflicts. Little is known of him, except that he seems to have some sort of knowledge that each of the main races is desparate for. Some types of potential super weapon that they all hope to use to win the coming war. He seems to be from a race that is much less physically and technologically evolved, yet he continues to outsmart and outwit the most dangerous individuals of their galaxy. The place we are going to travel to is deep inside the boundaries of a place known as the Uncharted Territories. Once there, it will take a week and several Starbursts by Guarm for us to reach the last known whereabouts of this being and the ship he travels on.

Appareantly, one of his first acts upon reaching the galaxy was to free a Leviathan that was being used as a prison ship. He and the escaping prisoners have formed a crew, alone with a former PK commando that has caused all three of the races unknown amounts of damage. The Leviathan, a female named Moya, will be advised that we are coming, but not of our origins. PK's and others have the means to detect and intercept Leviathans transmissions, so they will need to keep the information in short bursts hidden in other transmittions."

Data leaned forward as he processed the information Tam had just shared. "So we are enroute to the wormhole, which we shall transverse in order to enter the other galaxy and then travel to the location last known for these beings?"

Tam nodded and the screen showed an image of four vessels. One was a PK command carrier, another was a Nebari heavy cruiser, the third was a Scarren Dreadnought, and the fourth was a nondescript Leviathan. "These are the most powerful ships currently in use by the Nebari, the Scarren and the PK. The fourth is a current generation Leviathan. Unlike Guarm's time, were there was diverse appearances among Leviathans, like most races, the PK's have forced a common appearance to evolve upon all ships."

Worf was studying the three powerful vessels on the screen as they were shown in various combat sequences against lesser vessels. "What are the capabilities of the ships? Which is the most powerful?"

A closeup of the Scarren dreadnought appeared on screen. "This is the most deadly ship in the Known, Uncharted Territories or Tormented space. Going against a single Dreadnought is considered suicide unless you are in a full fleet of Carriers. No single ship can survive against the onslaught of a Dreadnought. Next, is the Nebari heavy cruiser. It is nearly as deadly, but has less of a reputation as the Nebari have mainly concentrated on subjugating their own population until recently. They are really just beginning to head out into open space, though they are known to be ruthless to any who encroach on their territory." An image of a PK carrier firing on a large vessel unknown to the others appeared. "The PK carrier is the heaviest class in the PK lineup, and is only slightly less lethal than the others. It is only considered weak when compared to the other two ships. It has a compliment of 50000 and has enough firepower to turn a populated planet into a barren wasteland. It is larger then the Nebari ship, and slightly smaller then the Dreadnought, but even it is unable to hold it's own in a concentrated battle against a Scarren dreadnought."

Worf frowned as a tendril came out of the wall and formed into a connection for the PADDs. It inserted itself into a PADD and then lifted the PADD for him to take. He took it and was surprised to find further details and schematics for all four vessels, as well as some of those belonging to the other races of the area. He looked up and nodded to the tendril, which waved slightly, before retracting itself into the wall.

"So how long until we reach the wormhole? It took you two days from the time you were first spotted by our bouys to reach Daystrom. How much further from that point to our destination?" Laol asked.

"Actually, we shall Starburst to the coordinates and wait for Guarm to build up enough amnexious fluid to Starburst again before we enter the wormhole. It will take about 10 hours for him to build up enough, and it will only take us minutes to get to the wormhole. We travelled here under what you refer to as warp drive, but Guarm and the other galaxy calls Hecht drive. The two are not quite identical, using different technologies and power sources, but from what I've come to understand, the speeds are close enough that you can refer to Warp 1 as Hecht 1 and so on. It is the same with time and other measurements. We do not know the current languages of the other galaxy, but they still use the term cycle, a time roughly equivalent to 1 Earth year."

Reed spoke up. "If possible, sir, while we are waiting for Guarm to recharge the batteries, could he contact another Leviathan through the wormhole and get samples of the other races languages sent back through so that Laol and I can get started on work translating them? Otherwise, the Universal Translators won't be able to translate between the languages."

Tam cocked his head as he and Guarm discussed the possibilities. "We will attempt to do so, Lt. Reed, but can not guarantee anything. Much as StarFleet has the Universal Translator, all beings in the other galaxy are, not long after birth, injected with translator microbes which perform a similar function. The microbes were another of the developments that occured after Guarm left, so he does not have any to offer us."

Laol spoke again. "I'm not sure they would even work on our crew, as Father and I are artificial beings and they would not be able to work for us. And they must be based on the genetics of the species of that galaxy and would therefor be of completely different DNA base then our galaxy. I might be able to work with them and the UT to get them working together in order to translate the languages, but it would take some time and would be far from perfect. Luckily, my father and I should be able to process the languages at a far faster rate then the UTs, crossreferencing it against the languages we are fluent in at speeds beyond the UT's simple processors. We can then program them into the UT for the rest of you."

Data nodded, seeing the sense of his daughter's words. "Laol is correct, Tam, Lt.. Between her and myself, we will be able to learn the languages faster then the UT and then directly download the language to the UT's that the four of you possess."

"Still sir, it might be good to get a sample to help you two get started on that processing. Even if it's only the one races' language, it should give you clues to the languages of the others, making it easier for the two of you to process the other languages." the Lt. stated as he grinned, enjoying discussing one of his main intersets.

Data's head tilted in an old habit while he contemplated the Lt.'s words. "Lt. Reed is correct, Tam. If it is at all possible, we could make use of a sample of any of the languages currenlty in use in the galaxy."

Tam nodded. "As I said, we'll do our best, but no guarantees. For now, I think it best that I get to the neural cluster while the rest of you find your quarters and brace yourself. The transition to StarBurst can be quite discomforting when you experience it for the first time."

The others agreed, and went to the crew quarters they had secured for their use. Worf copied the ship and weapons data to another PADD, which he gave to Lt. Cmd. Yaree to study, and Laol copied some data files on obscure language structure to a PADD for Lt. Reed to study. Data collected all the other PADDs for him to study all the available data on the various subjects in order to better familiarize himself with the approaching journey.

909099090999090909909090909

On Carrier

The travelled the rest of the way up the lift and to the Captain's quarters in silence, John accomplished what he'd wanted. He'd annoyed their guide to the point where most PK's would have resorted to physical violence or threats, and also managed to astound the same man and much of the crew by displaying a knowledge of the interior of the ship, he should not possess. Word would spread among thew crew about his abilities, and his reputation would grow even further.

He stood next to Aeryn who was trying to fight the grin at his antics. Lt. Reis was in front of them, his back to them facing out at the door. John tilted his head towards the Lt. and gave a grin at the tense set of his shoulders and stance. Aeryn elbowed him lightly, and his grin grew larger. He grabbed her hand and gve it a squeeze. She returned the gesture and held his hand, lacing their fingers together.

He was disappointed, but not surprised when she released his hand once the lift stopped and the doors opened. Still holding his tongue, he following the larger man down the corridor, his paranoid eye seeking any possible traps, escapes or object to use as weapons in case of a double cross. He also took a moment to enjoy the surprising lack of opulence in the corridor leading to the Captain's private level. On the few occasions he'd been onboard Carrier's before, the entire level was decorated in a manner to intimidate those of lesser rank and to show the superiority of the Captain over those under his command.

Oh sure, here there were a few objects he doubted were standard for PK quarters. An artifact here and there, various weapons or other cultural objects hanging on the wall or scatter on low tables. But really, nothing too overbearing. Just enough to show that the man in charge was in charge for a reason: He had more experience then the others and had survived and won more conflicts then them.

Also different, all the doors in the hall were open, allowing others to get a glimpse of the private life of their commanding officer. John glanced into each room they passed, noting that most seemed to be just normal bedrooms with a few personal effects. Sure, there was some effort to show that the person who used these rooms was of higher rank and standing then those travelling the hall. Unlike Crais' trophy rooms, or Scopius' torture chambers, they were just rooms, some converted to be supply rooms, others altered for other purposes. One had been turned into a kitchen, while another looked like a mini-Med bay. One, which looked like it had been two rooms, was changed into an exercise chamber, the floor carpeted by mats and several pieces of equipment like those found in any Earth based Gym. Freeweights, bikes, something that reminded John of a Nautilus bench system.

John grinned. Noreg Holt seemed like he was a down to earth guy who wasn't obsessed with the trapping of his office and power. He was a man who was obviously at ease in his command and trusted his crew, something of a rarity among PK officers. Most were constantly looking behind them to make sure their subordinates were too afraid of them to plot to overthrow them. Holt didn't seem to worry about the usual backstabbing that seemed the norm for PK advancement. John was beginning to look forward to spending a quiet dinner with the PK captain.

It didn't take long, after they passed the ktichen and the workout room before they came to the end of the hall. The hall ended at the opening of a huge chamber similar to others John had seen. However, instead of going into the chamber, Reis led them into a side alcove, where a midsized table was stationed. Seated behind the halfmoon table was an older man who was reading from a sheet while drinking a steaming glass of something that smelled to John almost like coffee.

The captain put down the sheet and the cup and stood. He did them the courtesy of coming around the table to greet them.

"Greetings, Commander Crighton, Lieutenant Sun. It is indeed a great pleasure to meet you. I have heard so much about the pair of you and your shipmates."

John grinned. He'd been doing it alot lately. There was a much different atmostphere on this ship then on any he'd been on since his training sting with the Air Craft carriers and Navy personnel. He walked towards the man and stuck out his hand. "Howdy, Captain. I wish I could say the same, but to be honest, until I came on this ship, I thought all PK captains were lying, dishonest scums who should be dragged into space without an EV suit."

Hort studied the hand for a moment, before taking it and shaking it twice then releasing it. "An interesting custom your people have, Commander. Tell me, what is the significance of the gesture." He gestured to the three seats accross from his own at the table and John and Aeryn took theirs easily. Reis tried to refuse and take a stance beyond his captain, but his captain waved him to the seat. He had to take it, though it was obvious he was uncomfortable.

John tested the chair, twisting it and turning it on its axis. He also ran his hands along the arm rests and the padding, confusing the others, though Aeryn just rolled his eyes when he looked up. "Er, sorry. I haven't had much luck in PK chairs. Just making sure there arent' any hidden needles, or restraints or electroshock systems. Ah, the handshake? That's a way on Earth, that two people, meeting for the first time would demonstrate that they were hoping to hold the meeting in peace and were not hidding any weapons. It originally started like this, "He demonstrated by grabbing the inside of his left elbow with his right hand. "Well, sort of. A knight, an early soldier from a part of my planet, would grasp the arm of a knight from a different kingdom to show that they were not planning to attach each other. It was a gesture of respect, and as my people advance, it become a common place gesture of greeting between people. Sort of a physical way of saying everything from 'Hi, how are you', to 'I promise to do as I say.' In the place that I'm from, a region called America, when the country first evolved, it was often said that you could tell a lot about a man, from his handshake. And I have to say, Captain, I like the way you shake hands."

The captain was intrigued by this glimpse into primitive culture of the infamous John Crighton. "So, Commander, what can you tell about me from my handshake?" He asked, a grin identical to John's on his face.

John took a drink from the mug in front of him before answering. "Well, for one, I can tell that you aren't as arogant as other Peacekeepers I've known. You are someone who is used to his own power and while not afraid to use it when needed, you don't lord it over others. You are comfortable with yourself and don't feel the need to impress those of lesser rank with outward signs of you rank and power. While you do take pride in your accomplishments, you feel that you were only doing your duty to protect your people and that it isn't right to showcase your victories. You have momentoes, but they are simply to remind you about the events of your life instead of forcing others to know what you've done. You care for your crew as they are more then just numbers for you. They are all real people, and you give no special treatment to either the soldiers or the techs who serve under you. You take pride in being in command and keeping yourself in shape, but you don't mind the occassional perk, such as this meal the man behind us is bringing in."

Holt was shocked. How could anyone learn so much from such a simple gesture? "How did you know that?" he asked.

John grinned and tapped the side of his nose. "I ain't telling. Ah nevermind, I can't lie. It wasn't all from the handshake. While Reis led us here, I took the time to study the hall and the rooms we passed. Compared to other PK commanders that I've met, your space is very . . . mundane. No real display of your power. Just a few collectables and momentoes of things that have personal significance to you, not rare artifacts that are relics of races you've won battles against. You have a full kitchen and medbay, and your own workout room. Everything is subdued and designed to give the person entering the hall a sense of respect and peace, a feeling that you are a capable warrior who isn't full of his own glory and self importance."

Holt shook his head. He'd thought that the handshake was amazing, but now he was no less impressed by John's revelation. "That is still quite amazing. I doubt I have any one my crew who could realize all that just from a few looks at the decorations on my walls. You have an unusual perception, Commander."

"Please, Captain Holt, call me John." he said.

Holt felt honored that the man before him would allow him such informal mode of address. "Thank you, John. And please, call me Noreg. Or Holt, as you see fit. You are not, after all, under my command or even in my command structure." The servant, a tech, placed the steaming meal onto their plates and the container on a little raised area on one end of the table. Then he left as silently as he had come.

"After we eat, John, I will tell you of something that has happened recently. There has been some changes in PK command you need to know about. But that can wait. For now, let's enjoy this excellent meal made by my staff."

So for the first time since entering this galaxy, John sat down for a peaceful supper with no chance of being attacked. He found it almost surreal. Here he was, the most hated man in the galaxy, wanted by the three most dominant races, and hunted by an insane genius half-breed for the knowledge placed in his head by a race so old, they were called ancient when his ancestors were first clawing their way out of the water for their first stint on dry land. No one was shooting at him, or planning to poison him, and he was having a rather pleasant conversation with his alien lover, a captain in a force who had sought his head for 4 cycles, and a man who obviously hated him.

Odd, even for him.

END CHAPTER

AN: so john finally met noreg holt and we finally learn a time frame to the meeting. i wonder how much holt's going to explain about the massacre?


	19. Chapter 18

Again, I own nothing except Angrogein's and Felinoid races adn the idea to put these shows together in the way that they are.

It's that time again, here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoy it.

Wormholes ahead, ho!

909090909090909090909090

Moya

Dargo was pacing impatiently through the lower levels of the massive leviathan. John and Aeryn had safely landed on the Command Carrier, but there had been no further news of them since that time. The Carrier was just sitting calmly in space, making no effort to leave or hide, and the support vessels were flying the same patrol routes they had been following since Moya's arrival in the system. There was absolutely no sign of any negative turn of events, and Dargo was beginning to worry. Things never went this well for them for so long. Usually by now, they should have had to run at least twice, killed a few dozen PK's or a Scarren or two, gotten captured, escaped, killing more hostile forces on the way out, and managed to evade pursuit with a witty word and reference to Earth by Crighton.

This entire system was too quiet for him. It was nice to get a break from the constant running and fear of dying, but it was unnatural to be floating peacefully in a system with a Command Carrier without wondering when the damn thing was going to try and destroy you. Heck, they usually started demanding surrender and delivery of John the second they caught sight of Moya. Then, before you could really reply, they would send troops to board her and kill them all while capturing John. Oh, every now and then they had orders to capture them all, but only so that they could be tortured to try and blackmail John into doing what they wanted him to do. Usually that was making wormhole weapons.

Dargo grunted and slammed his fist onto a convenient cargo case, denting the metal. He frowned at the twinge of pain, before grunting again, and heading towards his quarters. With nothing else to do, he could take the time to sharpen his Qualta blade, and clean out the firing chamber. The firing response had been off, and he thought there might be a build up of the oil on the inside of the barrels. Usually, excess oil would be burned away by a pulse blast burning it's way out through the barrel, but lately, it had been weaker and less accurate then it should be.

So, with that thought in mind, he set off for his quarters, seeking to avoid his other shipmates as he was unsure of his control and needed to calm himself from his fear and worry before seeing any of them. Hopefully, Jool was busy on the material they had brought back from the planet, and Chiana was annoying her. He already knew that Stark was in his quarters meditating, and the Rygel was likely in the common room stuffing his face.

0909909090909009990909090990909090

On Tinman

The ship was quit for the first time since Tam had brought the others aboard. Every one was resting, even Tam. The only being on board still moving was Lt. Reed. He was studying a sample of a language that Guarm had received over his connection to other ships in their destination galaxy. Tam had told him that it was a sample of Sebeccean. He was trying to make some sense of the odd sounds, which were nothing like any language he'd ever heard before. There seemed to be no discernable pattern within the sounds, at least none that his ears could make sense of.

So now, he was trying to run the sample through his UT by connecting the translator to the portable computer he'd brought. He hoped that there would be at least some similar laguage in the data banks, but was not holding out hope on a speedy recovery of any possible data. His best hope was to try and convince Laol to allow him to connect the UT and the computer to her processor and run it at speeds that were far beyond the limits of the UT or the PC.

But she had resigned for the night, stating a wish to gain her first experience with dreaming. He was mildly annoyed about this, as he felt that a being who did not require rest, or any of the other mundane needs of biological lifeforms, would be more interested in the experience of learning a new and totaly original language then in the inconsequential and useless dreams. He snorted as an old phrase from a pre-Federation novel came to mind.

'Do androids dream of electric sheep?' He spared a moment to chuckle over the thought, before he added his own answer. 'No, but they do dream of artificial experience.' "What the hell would a two day old android have to dream about any way?" he grumbled to himself, before resigning to make up for Laol's wasted time with her dreaming by having her continue to work on the translations while he caught up with a few hours rest before they went into the wormhole.

0909909090909009990909090990909090

On Carrier

John and Noreg were chatting like old friends reunited after years apart. They were sharing their experiences with several of the various races, including the Nebari, the Charrids, and others. They were both studiously avoiding mentioning conflict with or by Peacekeepers, and sticking only to Noreg's personal experiences and not his command experiences. John learned, as did Aeryn, that most Command Carrier Captains were on a rotation cycle of 5 cycles on each ship before transfering for another 5 cycles. Then they would receive 1 cycle of down time, before returning to command of a Carrier. Most had made arrangements with their fellow captains to rotate among the same few ships, and Noreg explained that not only had he managed to stick to only two ships, but he'd also been able to have most of his crew transfering as well.

Considering that most Commando's and techs were assigned to a single ship for however long they served, and were encouraged to be loyal first to the High Command, and then the ship itself, and not the individual captains, this was quite unusual. With the high rate of turnover in the ranks of hte officers, due to death in combat, backstabbing lower ranks seeking advancement and other causes, it was rare for a ship to hold the same set o fofficers for more then a few cycles. And appareantly, Holt had held the same set of core officers for over twenty cycles.

Aeryn was impressed despite herself. It spoke highly of the captain that so many of his officers had remained personally loyal to him. The only person Aeryn had ever known to show even remotely that level of devotion was Braca, and it was hard to tell were his loyalty truly lay as he at times seemed to serve Scorpius, and at others Grayza. Aeryn knew that he was loyal to one of them, but could never tell for sure which of the two frelniks the idiot really served.

Still, Holt seemed to actually care about his crew, as he mentioned many of them by personal name and listed some of their individual accomplishments in various duties. He even seemed to know the names of all the techs on board, as John mentioned that he'd seen some unusual things in the hall that looked like various equipment, and Holt went on to explain that his pride and joy was the tech crews on his ships as he was having them work on several ideas he'd had to improve drive efficiency, weapon cycling times, and shielding systems. He explained with almost childlike glee an idea he'd had to improve the normal defense shield. It was an entirely new approach that he'd based loosely on the personal body shielding mostly found among mercenaries and slavers.

John was equally enthralled by his ideas and asked to see the design specs while the table was cleared. They arrived quickly, and though the tech who'd brought them made to move away, John drew him into the conversation and the three were soon engrossed totaly in their discussion. Aeryn smiled faintly as her lover gestured wildly while studying the design, shaking her head fondly before catching the eye of the towering Reis. He looked as though this was a frequent and painful experience for him, and taking pity on the obviously uncomfortable man, she gestured with her head towards the door. Perhaps the two of them could further explore the weapons range she'd seen in a room down the hall.

The man gratefully stood and made his way out the door, and Aeryn squeezed John's shoulder.

"John, Reis and I are going to take a little stroll down to the explore a few of the rooms we passed. You stay here and do whatever it is you are doing." She grinned as she looked up at Reis while John just mumbled his okay's to her plan.

She and Reis left the three scientists talking about their little project.

As they walked down the hall, the giant looked down at her. "Thank you, Lt. Sun. I have known Noreg for a long time, but I have never been as interested in technical matters like he has. I'm more of a hands on kind of person."

Aeryn allowed her eyebrows to raise as she studied the powerful frame of the soldier. "That's rather apparent, Commander. You are one of the largest Sebecceans I've ever seen."

Reis grinned. "Yes, I've always been larger then others. It was why I was conscripted. Noreg was also conscripted from the same settlement and at the same time. We came up together through the ranks and when he reached a high enough rank, he requested I be assigned to him. And here we are, almost 40 cycles later."

"Why have you not sought higher rank yourself?" she asked as they entered the room. They had not discussed their destination, but both had known when they left that they were coming here. They each felt the need to dispose of some frustration in a constructive way, and neither was willing to test the newfound truce by sparring. So that left only the opportunity to practice their armed combat skills in the firing range.

Reis went to a rack displaying a variety of weapons, some of which Aeryn was surprised to recognize as non-Peacekeeper in origins. There was at least three different Luxan pulse weapons, along with a Qualta Blade. She even recognized a Nebari stun pistol, and a Scarren Heat rifle. The large man hefted a large pulse pistol and moved to take a stance in one of the three slots. He gestured to her to take the one next to him, and typed a command into the panel on the low table in front of him and a couple of images of Scarren warriors popped up at the end of the range.

"I hope you don't mind the choice of target. While I am aware of your recent conflicts, I can not bring myself to fire upon effigies of my fellow soldier. Even if I would gladly fire on a number of them, I respect the history of our people too much to fire upon images of the uniform." His statement made no reference to the fact that only arns before, he had led battle on a quarter of the crew of the ship. It was not his place to tell the Lt. about the ...political upheaval taking place on various PK vessels and systems.

Aeryn nodded. "I can accept that, though I have lost most respect for that history after having learned a little more regarding the true origins of the Peacekeeper forces. The High Command has perverted the true purpose of our people. We have become little more then blackmailing warmongers intent on ruling those we consider lesser races. And what do we base our so-called superiority on? There are races who are stronger then us, there are some more advanced then us, and there are some who are far more intelligent then us. No other race has any weakness that hinders their actions as much as we are slaves to our own genetic weakness. Other races have abilities that we seek to enslave them for our own use, but if we were truly superior, why do we not possess those abilities ourselves?

I have learned over the last few cycles that most of the so called truths perpetuated by High Command are simply a means to make us all mindless soldiers who obey their orders no matter how idiotic or repulsive they mind be. They seek to make us into nothing more then thieves, murderers and automatons. John had shown me in recent cycles that even someone from a world so far behind us, we consider it primitive, yet he has become the most saught after man in all of our galaxy. He has shown an uncanny ability to take technology many centuries far beyond his own and adapt to it with an ease to work with his own. Without his help, I would never have been able to continue to fly my Prowler, for it would have been far beyond my ability to repair it. The High Command's insistance on separating us into Techs and Commando's has led to our troops being unable to fix their own vessels or weapons when they have need to do so in the field."

Reis considered her words while she paused to fire her own pistol at the target. Her aim was near perfect, but the simulated images were designed to mimic their namesakes strengths and weaknesses, and no simple pulse pistol could kill a full grown Scarren.

"It seems that he is also able to adapt to the life out here as well. For someone from such a primitive world, he has shown a remarkable ability to form relations between beings of diverse and often violent races. Just look at the crew that has formed on your vessel. Luxan, Delvian, Sebeccean, Nebari, and Hynerian all living together peacefully and aiding each other in times of danger. You have all gone to great lengths to protect each other, even when you might have been better served to abandon the one in danger. No where else, will you see such a thing."

Aeryn nodded and waited while Reis fired his rounds. Her eyebrows rose in surprise as his shots blew large holes into the image. "That can not be a normal pulse pistol!" she stated with a trace of accusation in her voice.

Reis chuckled. "No it isn't. It's something Noreg and his pet techs have designed for use by his soldiers should we have to face Scarren fighters. While it looks like a normal pulse pistol, instead of the chakan oil used by most modern weaponry, it uses a different fuel source as well as projectile. Each projectile, though only a few milimeters long and wide, is equiped with an explosive tip. The pistol actually fires two times. One is the projectile, and the other is the enhanced pulse round. These two are combined inside the end of the barrel and travel together to the target, where the pulse does it's normal damage, and the other explodes. It it possible to fire only one of the two rounds, with the press of the selector button on the thumbrest." While he described the weapon, he moved around the partition and handed it to her.

He watched as she studied it, and removed the two ammo sources. The normal oil cartridge she was familiar with had been replaced with a larger one that also contained a much different oil. Chakkan oil was usually blue, and the pulse round burned blue as it travelled. However, the current oil was a dark green, and the projectiles had been burning green as well. The other ammo clip connected directly to the barrel and was loaded with thousand of small slivers of metal, each with a red tip and black end. The barrel had been modified to include the combination chamber for both rounds, and she cycled through the firing selections with the thumbrest. Not only did they include options to fire both projectiles, there was also options for several rapid fire options that were not often found on weapons of this size.

"This is amazing! This would solve a lot of problems we've got with getting enough chakkan oil to reload our pistols. Would you happen to have the plans for this and would you be willing to share them? We could pay quite handsomely, as I am sure you have heard of our little stint as bank thieves when we destroyed the Shadow Depository. We have a hold full of various credits for several races."

Reis smiled at her excitement. It was the same feeling he had felt the first time he had held one of these. "I am not sure about the plans. You'd have to ask the captain about that. I don't think he wants too many of these out in the galaxy in case the Scarrens find a way to counter them."

Aeryn nodded, seeing Reis' point. "I can understand that. Though perhaps if he lets John take a look at the plans, John could find a way to fix the problem you are having with them."

Reis looked at her with shock on his face. "How did you know that we are having problems with them? I've said nothing to indicate that."

Aeryn grinned in a manner that made her look eerily like John. "You didn't have to. I could tell right away while holding it. The double firing and ammo loads make the weapon ungainly and the extra modifications to the barrel make it too heavy for a one handed weapon. Not to mention that the weapon was still hot when you gave it to me, and I could see the blistering on your hand from the heat. It runs hot. Too hot for us to safely use often. Especially when you use the combined ammo." She looked the weapon over again. "Not to mention that the reflex of the weapon is going to be stronger then a normal pulse pistol, or even a Nebari Needlegun, which is where he found the idea for the dart projectiles. He added the explosive for the Scarrens, but I'm guessing you also have some that do not have the explosive. That would be usefull against those that use personal shielding, as while the shield absorbed the impact and energy of the pulse blast, it wouldn't stop the thin metal from cutting right through your target. With the rapid fire option, you could fire dozens or hundreds of rounds of the darts into target, even long after the oil ran out."

Reis was glad he had taken it upon himself to show the excommunicated Commando the prototype of the new weapon. She had jsut described it's intended uses perfectly, and she had only learned of it's existence mere microts before. She truly was as amazing as her reputation had portrayed her to be. She had become known for her skills as a pilot and a commando long before the arrival of John Crighton and her time with his ragtag company had only enhanced the mystique of her warriors prowess. High Command took great pride in claiming her as an example of what a warrior should be, though they always added that she was also an example of just how bad it was to interact too closely with the lesser races. For if someone as dedicated and talented as Lt. Aeryn Sun could be corrupted by contact with a member of a lesser race, how much more easily could others, without her reputed mental and physical strength, be infected by the lesser races.

He took the weapon, and replaced it in the rack, before taking a normal pistol and returning to his booth. He changed the targets from Scarrens to a constantly shifting number of races. Nebari, Charrids, and others. They spent a few arns on the slaughter effagies of their enemies in silence, enjoying the chance to test their skills against an equal.

909090909909099099090909909


	20. Chapter 19

Again, I own nothing except Angrogein's and Felinoid races adn the idea to put these shows together in the way that they are.

It's that time again, here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoy it.

Wormholes ahead, ho!

909090909090909090909090

Command Carrier

Aeryn and Reis eventually worked out as much of their agression as they ever could. Aeryn had tried out several of the diverse weapons, having never had the opportunity to try some of the varius equipment. It was a rather instructive session, and she left it feeeling a better understanding for why certain races prefered certain weapons styles. Not all of the weapons where designed for Sebeccean use, and they felt awkward or ungainly in her hands, but recalling the lessons on biology and target areas of their creators she could see why they prefered them over other, more reliable or less finicky weapons.

The two cleaned the weapons silently, then left the room. Reis excused himself, claiming to have duties to handle that could no longer be put off. Having lived most of her life on Command Carriers, Aeryn was aware of the myrriad of tasks that were required of it's officers. She bid the giant farewell, and slowly walked back to the room where they had left John and Holt. She entered the room and took a moment to study the sheer volume of flimsies and data records lying around. There were hardcopies of plans for equipment she couldn't even name a tenth of let alone their purpose. John and Noreg were excitedly going over figures and the freshest plans while other techs were taking notes and gathering up the discarded plans.

"So having fun boys?" Aeryn asked in as stern a voice as she could.

John and Holt looked up guiltily before catching the glimmer in her eye and sharing a shaky grin and chuckle.

"Guess we have been at it a while, haven't we?" John asked sheepishly.

Holt matched John's grin. "True, but we have accomplished much, Commander. You have cleared up several of the problems my techs and I have been having with the stability of the defense screens. And your idea to have layers of shields instead of just the 1 level is sheer brilliance."

"It's matched by your idea to vary the shielding frequency and level intensity. I would never have considered that by having a weaker shield on the outer layer and inner layer only covering parts of the ship while the strongest middle layers covered the whole ship would improve the function and decrease power consumption. I would have had three or four similar level shields covering teh entire ship, but having more layers at weaker levels covering critical areas like the bridge and engineering while there is a blanket level covering the entire ship. And the rotation of the frequencies allows greater chance to avoid shield failure and improve against the various weaponry of the major and minor races." John added, waving a handful of sheets in the air.

Noreg leaned back, feeling immensly satisfied at the entire days progress. "Do you know the most impressive thing, Commander?"

John shrugged, not knowing where the PK Captain was going. "No, what?"

"That you have allowed yourself to work with me on these designs. It is well known that you have never worked willingly with a peacekeeper before today. I can not tell you how much it means that you ahve actually aided me on this matter, and not withheld your suggestions or comments."

John paused, taken aback by the words. He had totally forgotten where he was and who he was with. This was the first time since he'd come to the Uncharted Territories that he'd had the chance to trully work on a matter within his true field of expertise. He didn't count all the wormhole experiments as they had been pretty much forced on him. This was the first time he'd worked on something that wasn't needed in order to safe his life or the lives of his friends. "You know, this is weird. I would never have thought I could work with a PK and not hold back. Not since...well. Never mind. There's been a few, but not many PK's that I haven't wanted to shoot on sight. You are most definitely not like any other PK I've ever met, Captain. Not even Aeryn. From some of what you've said, you seem to recent the High Command almost as much as I do."

Noreg leaned forward, steepling his fingers before him. "That's because they disgust me, Commander. They have perverted the purpose of the Peacekeepers forces for thousands of cycles. We were once what the name implies, a force for good and peace. Now, we are little more then bullies and warmongers, filled with great and fear. We subjugate other races because we fear what they will one day become. We enslave others because we fear that they would surpase us. High Command has known for a thousand cycles that the Sebeccean people are dying. Each cycle, less Sebecceans are born then the previous, and our losses in battle grow each year, making the armies smaller and weakening our hold on the so called lesser races. The separation of our people into Techs, Farmers, and soldiers has weakened our genetic variety and lowered the overall abilities of our people.

Our soldiers are stronger, but less intelligent and unimaginitive. It's rare that they show any original thought. Even their betrayals and the common backstabbing is predictable and unoriginal. Every captain knows that his underlings might turn on him at any time and so he attempts to garner their loyalty through a rather tired formula of fear, rewards, and force. The only trully new thoughts come not from those born into the service, but those conscripts born outside of the system. There has been no knew advancements of any consequence from a completely Peacekeeper or Sebeccean origins. All the new advancements and improvements come from a handful of conscripted techs or have been stolen from the lesser races. Or from hybrids like Scorpius. And it's all because of the High Commands views on purity and their policy on segregation of the races and roles in our command structure."

John frowned. He'd had a glimpse of the PK policies in previous encounters with him, but Holt was the first high rank that he'd ever known to show such disdain about their policies. Something was going on on this ship. And John was tired of dancing around it. "What's going on, Holt?" he asked when the captain paused his monologue. "Something's going on. I've never heard any one talk about the High Command and PK policy like that, not even the Royal Colonies. Everyone I spoke to on the ship semed too eager to please. There wasn't a single person who held any grudge agaisnt me. Given my reputation among the various races, and the hatred PK's have shown me in the past, this is highly unlikely. Unless you found some way to weed out those who might have a grudge or who might not wish to follow High Command's orders to leave me be. So where are they, Holt? Those who would disobey you and try to kill or capture me?"

Holt's face became the consumate PK mask John was so familiar with. The man seemed to study him for a moment before pushing away from the table and walking over to look out the porthole. "What I am about to tell you is something I had wished to avoid. Something I have also planned for long before your arrival in our galaxy." He turned from the view and stood facing John and Aeryn, who had since taken stance next to her lover. "There has been a section of Peacekeeper forces that have been disatisfied with the official and unofficial policies of High Command that has been seeking a means to break away from their control. I have been a member of this factions since I first became a Peacekeeper, and in recent years, have become one of the leaders of the faction. Your arrival in our galaxy has sped our plans by several cycles. And more recent events have forced our hand. Today, word went out among those loyal to the faction. We have begun our tasks, and one of those tasks was to either capture and restrain those loyal to High Command or kill them if neccessary.

Not long before you contacted us, I ordered the deaths of some 4000 of my crew who were loyal to High Command. All around PK space, those loyal members of the factions are taking the same steps to ensure the safety of their vessels and loyal crew. After they have ensured the capture or death of the High Command loyals, the faction is going to leave their assignments and meet up in a neutral area of space. By now, some 200 vessels should be in the system, with more trailing in each moment. It is likely that some 400000 to 1 million soldiers have been killed today by those they viewed as compatriots. Though I would wish it otherwise, I have no doubt that a few of the ships failed in their attemps at this action, and I have lost a good many friends today.

I am asking you, John Crighton to take command of my fleet. With you at the head of the fleet, I have no doubt that we will be able to convince others to join our cause of freedom. Your work here today will be a great asset to the fleet, once the design is finalized and tests confirm the theory. Please, Crighton. I am beging you. You are the only chance we have for a free and open society. For the ability to live as we wish and not be forced into a live few of us would have chosen. Most of us were farmers or such and though few were taken so late in life that they remember their previous life, they know in their hearts that they are not were they were meant to be. We wish for the Peacekeepers to return to their true function, as guardians and protectors of the peace and not as enforcers or mercenaries for hire."

John was stunned. Both by the news that so many people would be killed today, as by the request for his taking command of such a fleet. From all the intelligence he and his friends had gathered, 200 ships would be a huge chunk of the Peacekeeper forces. And with Scarrans and Nebari flexing their forces outwards, that was a dangerous situation for the Peacekeepers to find themselves. Loosing nearly half their fleet could potentially lead to either the Scarrans or Nebari wiping out the PK forces and taking all of their space. This would be bad news for the rest of the galaxy, for while some might be a match on a ship to ship or individual basis, no other race had the might to stand up to the sheer numbers of either the Scarrans or the Nebari. There were only 50 capitol ships in the entire Luxan fleet, and other races had less then that. The numerical superiority of the Nebari and Scarrans, as well as the sheer power of their vessels was what had lead the High Command to order the experimentation on Leviathians to breed gunships, as well as fueled their quest for wormhole technology. More specifically, wormhole weapons. And he'd given several displays of just how powerful those weapons could be. No wonder they all wanted the knowledge so badly.

High Command saw it as the only way they could survive the brewing three-way war. The Nebari probably wanted it because they didn't think such powerful technology should be in the hand of such disorganized and unruly races. The Scarrans wanted it because they wanted to rule everything. And he was the only one who had it. Well, at least, the only one who could make useful weapons out of it. The Feline people might use it for travel, but he didn't think they would be able to make weapons out of the technology. The schematics he'd downloaded and read through before coming over didn't show more then a broad understanding of the material. They just used what was left them by their Creators.

But even that could be helpful to someone like Scorpius. John sighed and stood, going over to look out the window. He watched as a patrol of Prowlers flew past in 4 point formation. 'Just great.' he thought to himself peevishly. 'Now, not only do I have to protect Earth, I also ahve to keep the various freaks from coming here and taking the wormhole tech from these guys. And deal with possibly leading my own personal fleet filled with people who used to hate or fear me. What the hell am I supposed to do?'

949494949494949494949

Tinman

The small crew had gathered in the bridge area of Guarms interior. Since their arrival, Guarm had rebuilt several of the levels and areas of the ship into more permanent fixtures to fit their needs. Guarm was happy to do so since it had been so long since he'd had a crew. He had been storing up the needed materials in cargo holds for all his remembered time alone and he enjoyed putting them to use. He had missed the crafting of his interal self into solid forms for the use of beings with the need for the things he could craft.

They were waiting just outside the gravitic reach of the wormhole they would use to traverse to the other galaxy. The wormhole was currently open, and Guarm was transmitting a message through it, attempting to make contact with the nearest Leviathian on the other side. It could take some time, since even the Leviathian mental communication would take time to travel the distances involved.

The rest were discussing various strategies for handling any potential hostiles they might encounter. Worf was missing the Defiant vessel he'd commanded, as it was the most powerful warship in the StarFleet line, despite it's size. It's sole purpose was battle, and it showed in every aspect of the vessel. From it's dual hull plating and shielding systems, to heavy rapid fire torpedo bays and triple redundant phaser systems. Even the interior was designed to remind crew that it wasn't a pleasure vessel or exploration craft like the Enterprise or the other ships of the line. He wished they'd been able to bring one along for the trip, but they had no way to man it or fit it in Guarm's bays. They had brought a pair of long range Delta Flyer class runabouts, modified with a single torpodo laucher and doubled up phaser banks, as well as strengthened shields. Each carried 7 torpedoes, and they had also included an additional 21 in storage in their bay. 3 torpedoes on each were transphasic, and they had 6 more with the extras. They had brought the equipment to repair any part of the shuttles, including carefully stored antimatter for the warp engines. The shuttles were the closest things StarFleet had to fighter craft, and from the intelligence they'd gathered from their target galaxy, personal fighter craft were in high use.

While all the StarFleet personnel were compatent pilots, none had been really trained for pure figher pilot in the way the Peacekeeper and other forces had trained their people. Reed was really the closest they had to a fighter, having worked on old style airplanes as a hobby with his parents and grandparents. Yaree had some experience as well, since Angrogein's Fleet did include some fighter type craft. Though it pained Worf, he would have to go along as tactical and not pilot should they be needed. Data and Reed would pilot the shutles, Data having downloaded all the relevant data to his cortex before leaving StarFleet space. Worf and Yaree would go as tactical specialists, leaving Laol and Tam on Guarm. Laol would handle communications between the three vessels, and man the transporters and prep for reloading and repairs as needed. Luckily, they would be able to transport new ordinance directly into the launch bays. Thanks to scavanged and modified tech from the Borg, they now were able to transport through their own shields, so long as they aligned the frequencies. It would require Laol to keep close track of the rotational frequencies in order to transport through the shields, but she was the only one up to the task. Her processors were several times faster then even Data's, and not even he could keep up with the rotation of the frequencies.

Tam was currently working out, having decided to try and get some physical strength into his frail body, now that he was no longer a slave to his mental gifts. He was well aware that his physical strength was subpar. He needed to bring himself into better health if he wished to remain with Guarm as long as possible. He didn't want to leave the Leviathian without a pilot again. He didn't want his friend to be alone.

He blinked as Guarm entered his thoughts to let him know of his success. He lowered the weights, and secured them under the bench, locking the cabinet before making his way to the bridge. He entered to a discussion of yield ratios of various torpedoes from several races. He didn't understand any of it, but paused, not wanting to interrupt the enthusiastic discussion.

Laol spotted him standing in the door, and spoke up. "Tam, has something happened?"

Everyone turned to face him, Tam felt a moment of panic, then calmed. These were his friends, and he had nothing to fear from any of them. "Guarm has made contact with a Leviathian named Terani. One of the few free Leviathians left. He has agreed to pass the word that Guarm is seeking the female Moya. Luckily, Terani is relatively close to the wormhole and is curious to see the phenominen. He will met us a few hours after we arrive. He currently has only his pilot as crew, and will not venture near the sectors we are visiting as they are ruled by a race known as Peacekeepers and they are in the habit of enslaving and experimenting on Leviathians."

Data tilted his head to process the information. Though Worf had held a higher rank then himself, Data was nominally in command of this mission. It was up to him to decide if the risk involved was worth whatever they might encounter in the other galaxy. "Will Guarm be a target for the Peacekeepers?" he asked.

Tam shrugged. "There is that possibility, though it is not likely. Guarm is not as helpless as other Leviathians. He's grown the weapons, as well as having the main defense of the Starburst. And with the shields you've installed as well as the defense field Leviathians can project, we should be safe enough. Though as you well know, no one is entirely safe when facing potentially hostile forces. And from what Terani says about the weapons and strengths of some of the races there, their capital ships would easily destroy us. Starburst will be our greatest ally should something go wrong, and the warp engines of the shuttles. The transphasic torpedoes and photon torpedoes are something that they have never experienced. They still use mainly physical projectile weaponry, even on the heavy gun weapons of their vessels. They don't have any real laser or phaser weapon technology. From other things Terani has passed along, they seem to be behind our current level of technology in several ways, yet far beyond us in others. Especially in biomedical technology. In some ways, they might be beyond the Borg. The translator microbes are only a small part of their technology."

"I wonder how advanced they are in regards to artificial intelligence?" Data pondered, wondering if there was any beings like himself and Laol in the other galaxy.

"Well, we're going to be finding out. Guarm is starting towards the wormhole, having received word that Terani is entering the area of space where the wormhole exits. It is between solar systems, in a part of the other galaxy known as Tormented space."

"Sounds like fun." quipped Reed.

"It is apparently full of unstable protowormholes, spacial anomalies, and all manners of natural and constructed dangers. It is a barrier between a large section of the borders for the Peacekeeper Territories on those of both the Scarran and Nebari, the two other main powers of the area. Interestingly enough, the entire galacy is practically teeming with life of various sources, with more then several million known species of inteligent or semi-intelligent origins." Tam added.

"Several million species?" Data exclaimed, shocked by the numbers. The known species in the entire Alpha, Delta and Gamma quadrant barely numbered 10 000.

"Yes, there's something about that area of the universe that increases the variables needed to form sentient life."

Laol was grinning wildly, and even Data was allowing his excitement to show on his face. Reed was too shocked by the sheer numbers to do anything but stare dumbly at the Betazed, while Worf and Taree shared grim expressions. They were concerned by the huge number of possible hostile to care about the scientific curiousity of the other galaxy.

"We must be careful, more so then we had originally planned." Worf stated into the silence. "With that many species around, who knows how some of them will react. We know little of the main threats, and almost nothing of the less numerous dangers. We are limitted in weapons. I wish we had brought more torpedoes along. Or at least a the means to build more. In fact, I wish we were bringing a fleet with us. We will be vastly outnumbered, more so then we thought."

Taree agreed. "I wish we could have at least brought a Defiant class vessel. They have the ability to build more torpedoes with their replicators. The ones we have don't have the required measures to build the detonators and power sources for torpedoes. They are only basic food replicators."

Data and Laol exchanged glances. "There is the possibility that Laol and I can convert the replicators we do have to be able to build the needed materials, but it would require our scavenging parts from the replicators and transporters of the shuttles. But once the modifications are needed, and we gather raw materials from space to use as building blocks, we should be able to at least repair the transporters in the shuttles. The replicators however, will not be able to be repaired."

"Also, the modification will force us to set limits on the variety and complexity of the foodstuffs the replicator can provide. Nothing as bad as the MRE's that we've also packed, but just basic materials, no meat or complex carbohydrates and sugars. We will need to supplement our food stores by picking up whatever we are able to from any planets we might happen by." Laol added.

Worf frowned. He didn't like the sound of that. "No meat at all? No protein?"

"Just basic vegetable proteins, not animal. We might, if we get samples from some of the planets, be able to provide new patterns for the replicators to build, but we won't be able to build those food materials that we currently possess. We need to wipe all but the basic patterns from the recombination processors in order to allow it to have the power to build the incredibly more complex atomic structures of the metals and other materials for the torpedoes."

Tam interrupted, not really caring about trivialties like food stuff. "Right now, we need to get ready. Guarm has mentioned that the trip through the wormhole will not be the most stable for the ship. It's much more volatile then the Bajoran Wormhole."

The crew parted, setting all the scattered materials into storage. They tied everything they could down, then too seats in the chairs Guarm grew for them on his bridge. The seats also had harness set that llowed them to lock themselves into place incase of a trully ruff journey.

There was a pause as Guarm neared the wormhole's mouth. Then the large form moved into the swirling blue field, and was pulled through. Any outside observers would see the ship lengthening into the wormhole, before disappearing into the blue mass, which then sealed behind it, leaving empty space where once floated a living ship.


	21. Chapter 20

Again, I own nothing except Angrogein's and Felinoid races and the idea to put these shows together in the way that they are.

It's that time again, here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoy it.

Wormholes ahead, ho!

Er, I'm not a scientist, and most of the little science stuff I throw it is unlikely to ever work. So there. Don't you just love fiction? As long as you make it sound fairly comprehensive, you can make anything do whatever you need it to do. So in this, I can take berylium and krypton, combine them into a crystaline structure, and have a stronger and faster computer made with the resulting material. instead of silicon chips or crystals to store data, you can have berylium/krypton crystals store more complex information. So there.

90909090909090909090909

On Planet

Doreater Pringa of Yangou province was an old man. He'd ruled his province on Ryra for more years then even he cared to recall. He'd done so with a blend of tactics, from fear and intimidation to bribery and subterfuge. He'd both survived and perpetrated acts of assassination, a common way in Ryra politics for advancement. He was an excellent shot, and had gathered an impressive array of hunting trophies. He had never served in an active role in the army. His family connections had lead to his being giving a cushy officer job on a ship patrolling the area between the homeworld and the asteroid belt. The only danger had been boredom, and thankfully, there had been enough easily intimidated female crew for him to stave that off.

Now he was in a precarious position because of the idiot Coreager and the ruling of the council in regards to the infamous alien John Crighton. He had promised the Scarrens that he would be able to capture the ellusive man and hold him for their emissary. Unfortunately the council had ruled that Crighton was beyond the reach of their politics and was under their protection as long as he remained in system. The Coreager had placed him under his own personal protection, and that meant he had the protection of the largest faction of the military, especially the spacial navy. Not that Pringa was without influence in the armed forces. Most of the homeguard and ground troops were under his control but in an open conflict, Lyar would crush his forces.

In order to appease the Scarren, and keep his head attached to his body, he would have to take a less open path. He had already made contact with several of the disillusioned members of society, and a few were willing to perform the task he required, but there was one in particular he was waiting to here from. The most vile, despicable and feared man in the entire population. A man who so frightened others, that his name had been stricken from record and he was only refered to by the title of "Yeeroa". A man responsible for the deaths of thousands during the Independance Wars a decade before. He'd released a biocontagion that had wiped out the entire population of three of the largest colonies on the outer planets, making the planets inhospitible for oxygen breathing life. He'd been a commander in the Navy forces, and had created and released the contagion without orders, resulting in a death total of nearly 200 000 in less then 3 days. He had been court-martialed and scheduled for execution, but had managed to escape, killing not only his 5 guards, but several civilians clerks and the tribunal when he caused the transport ship carrying him to the planets he'd ruined to explode.

Pringa chuckled as he considered the possibility of Yeeroa abbiding by his request. What ironies, that Lyar's own brother would result in his downfall and the downfall of the government Lyar had fought so hard to protect.

9090909090999099

On Tinman

Data was fascinated by the process of travelling through the wormhole. Unlike the few previous trips through similar phenominon that he'd experienced, this wormhole seemed nearly alive. He could see the flow and eddy of tidelike patterns in the viewport. Tinman was rocking slightly in the forces of the nonlinear space. It reminded Data grealt of the time before the Cochrane Episode, as he called it. When the crew of the Enterprise had gathered on the holodeck as crew of an ancient sailing vessel. The rocking of the ship on the waves was very similar to the way in which the eddies of the protoplasm and energy waves were rocking Tinman.

It was a beautiful spectacle to witness, though the journey was also longer then any previous trip through a wormhole he had previous encountered. Even the Bajoran wormhole, artificially constructed as it was, was a faster journey then this current trip. He took a glance at Tam, and felt a glimmer of concern by the slightly lost look on the Betazed's face. "Is something wrong, Tam?"

Tam shook his head and turned to Data. "No, not really. Guarm is a little disoriented by the lack of discernable landmarks though. There's nothing for him to focus on, and we are being pushed through by forces he can't name. The material of the space we are in is beyond his knowledge and experience. He's never felt anything like it. He says it's giving him a not dissimilar to what he says we feel as tickling. He doesn't know where he is and has no way of telling where anything else is either. He's a little scared. There's energy waves that are powerful enough to crush his skin and shatter us into atoms and he's worried about how close we've come to some of them."

"I'm sure that whatever is guiding us will not allow us to be destroyed. Given our vectors and trajectory upon entering the wormhole, we should be on a pretty straight course to the other end, unless some type of internal imbalance in the energy waves distorts our passage. As long as Guarm is able to maintain our original heading with a 2.34percent drift in any given direction, we should safely arrive at the wormhole terminus and exit safely into the intended galactic region within the next several moments." Laol stated as she studied the PADD she was holding. "Father and I were very careful with the calculations before we gave the heading for Guarm to follow in order to enter at the proper speed and angle."

Tam nodded, some of the science beyond his grasp, but understanding enough to know what the newly created female android was saying. "He's doing his best. Luckily, we seem to be on a straight path. He doesn't sense any large disturbances in our projected path, but his sensors aren't designed to work inside this level of subspace."

"Perhaps Father and I can work on enhancing a tricorder to be able to interface with his systems and provide him with better sensor data about the wormhole? With the added power of his neural cluster and energy processors, combined with the sensor suites on the new tricorders and the handheld scanners, perhaps he could get a better resolution of the various energy patterns inside the wormhole passage. It would likely increase his scanning distance inside the wormhole, though it would cause a bit of distortion in sensing normal space."

Tam listened as Guarm silently gave his opinion on what the android was saying. "Guarm would appreciate any help you can give him, Laol. He's really unnerved by this whole wormhole experience. He wants to get out and get into normal space, with stars and dust particles not just energy and plasma."

"Than I will get started on modifying some connectors to hook into Guarm's systems. Tam, will you come with me and help me talk to Guarm? I'll need him to let me know when the connections are working."

"Of course, Laol. I will be glad to help."

9090909090909090909090909090909090

On Command Carrier

John and the captain were still conversing while they walked the decks back towards the docking bay. They were still talking about their little gadget, while Aeryn and Gaan walked silently behind them. The pair walked silently, allowing their charges freedom to discuss their passions without interupting with their lack of subject knowledge. They shared a few amused glances and rolled eyes signifying their lack of interest in the field of electron field projection and dispersed particle shield theory.

They reached the bay and Aeryn entered the module to prep it for launch, while John and Holt continued to go over last minute design changes in yet another project Holt had been working on.

"So, if you change from a silicon crystalline structure to something with a berylium/krypton structure, you increase the storage capacity of the computer system by a factor of 20, as well as increasing data recovery speed by a factor of 5. Not only that, but you can decrease the size of portable storage devices, or alternatively, use the extra size to store more complex holographic imagery and sound instead of just text or lower res imagery." Holt stated while holding a sheet of contaning his design specs for improving the Peacekeeper computer systems.

"Okay, but what about stability? Wouldn't the berylium breakdown under the power of the lasers you'd need to read the data? And the krypton would ionize and become radioactive at the heat thrown by the laser and the powercore."

"Not if it's cooled by liquid nitrogen. Sure, you wouldn't be able to make a handsized unit like we have now, but you could still make a fairly portable unit."

"But for that to work at the most efficient rate, you'd have to totally submerge the crystal in the coolant. And the crystal would be cold when ejected from the matrix. Too cold to handle."

"Yes. But, by draining the coolant before ejecting and running a simple two layer scan, then you'd warm the crystal enough for handling without risking any stability."

"And that heats it enough to be safe for handling?"

"Well, according to theory. We haven't had luck yet with putting it in practice. The berylium/krypton crystals have to be pure to almost 97.5percent. minimum. Unfortunately, our equipment can only produce a purity of 89.6, though we have had 1 test cube at 94.7percent. The main impurity tends to be hydrogen and carbon in various forms. We're trying to find a way to cure them out first, before even attempting to mix the berylium and krypton. Even pure krypton or berylium samples that we've attempted to combine have had impurities, though in those cases, mostly oxygen."

John frowned, studying the data he'd been handed. "What about trying in a vacuum atmostphere and raising the temp to boil out the carbon and hydrogen? Krypton and berylium boil at a higher temperature, so heat the solution to a level just below the lowest boil point of those two, in a vacuum chamber of some kind. You can even keep the vacuum suction going, since you're hydrogen and carbon atoms boiling out of the mixture would need somewhere to go." John was again surprised at the efficiency of the translator microbes. He and Holt had been talking subatomic physcis for hours, and yet with only a few concepts that he hadn't encountered before, they'd translated everything into something he could recognize. The first thing they'd done when beginning to work out some of the ion shielding technologies was set up a parallel chart of the table of elements. Luckily, once he'd seen the Sebeccean words for the most basic elements, the translator microbes had filled in the gap and translated the rest into the English versions, and he knew they were doing the same for Holt, changing his English elements into Sebeccean for the Peacekeeper.

Holt considered the suggestion. It was certainly something they hadn't tried yet. Peacekeeper technicians and scientists weren't prone to coming up with such ideas. A vacuum, and perhaps zero-g, environment filled with the impure berylium/krypton solution heated to boil off the impurities while further solidifying the bonds of the berylium and krypton, with a secondary chamberto vacuum off the excess of the boiled impurities with a tertiary chamber that the now pure berkryp solution could be flowed into so that the mixture would form a sphere and be allowed to cool to a solid state. They could then take the solid berkryp crystal sphere and cut/form it to the shapes they need for it's new function.

"That might work. I will have the techs begin to work on the chamber for the purification process." He started to continue, but a tech with a box came up towards where they were standing below the Farscape's wings. "What is it, Siman?" Holt asked, only allowed a slight chill to his words instead of the raw anger most PK's John had met showed when being interrupted by the second class technicians.

"Sir, we've managed to construct two of the prototype shielding devices you and Commander Crighton designed earlier. This, " the tech indicated the case, "contains one of the devices, specially modified to work on a leviathan. It also has all the data from our previous tests and on the build process for the device. As you requested before the Commander's arrival, we've also included specs on all Peacekeeper vessels and the command structure as recently as this morning pre-purge."

"Pre-Purge?" John asked, curious about the data held in the case. They'd come to this system to first find some needed parts and foodstuffs, and secondarily to download and listen to the PK beacon being broadcast for their attention. And now, here he was, standing in a PK docking bay, leaving peacefully and without injury after spending most of the day working side by side with a PK captain-who strangely was also a closet technophile- and being given the entire schematics for all PK vessels and the listing of ALL PK command structure. If someone had told him last night that he'd be doing this, he'd have accused them of being more insane then Stark.

"The incident that we discussed earlier regarding the changes in the command structures of certain select Peacekeeper vessels." Holt explained, taking the case from the tech and waving him off. "Commander, I again extend my request that you consider the options I layed before you earlier. We will remain in this system as long as we can, but by now, the High Command has no doubt learned of the incident and that I am one of the leaders of our little rebellion. They will be sending ships after me, and no matter that this is supposed to be a neutral system, I have no doubt that they would risk antagonizing the Ryra in order to capture me and my crew. We will wait as long as we can, but if our sensor sweeps encounter a Peacekeeper vessel approaching this system before we receive word from you, we will depart. I've already had Gaan give Lt. Sun a data cube with the coordinates for several of the systems were we will be congragating. If you decide to join us, go to one of those systems and send out a pulse message stating your acceptance. Any loyal crew who hears it will reply and send the message on to me and the other leaders."

John nodded, climbing up the small ladder to stand on the wing. He settled and crouched, nodding for Holt to pass up the case. The Sebeccean gave a gentle toss, and the case came up to meet him. He grunted as he caught it and the weight nearly caused him to fall off balance. He often forgot that Sebecceans were physically stronger then humans, except when one decided to beat him. It wasn't really surprising that he forgot considering the other physically superior races he'd met. Luxans, Nebari, Scarrans. Pretty much all the races out here were stronger then humans. Or had abilities that humans lacked. Well, he thought, considering the immense amount of variety out here compared to back home, he wasn't really surprised. A larger variety of competion for food sources usually meant a more diverse skillset for any hunter/gatherers.

He set the case down behind the seat, and slipped in in front of Aeryn, who had moved to the copilot halfseat. The module had originally been designed as a solo craft, but with the adaptions he'd had to make since arriving here, he'd been able to fasten a secondary seating position by pulling the bulky life systems from earth and installing the more compact life support from Peacekeeper vessels. This gave more room, including a small storage space for extra equipment or supplies, and a secondary seating for a passenger. The hatch sealed itself and he looked down to Holt, who had backed off to a safe distance. He gave the captain a thumbsup, and grinned when the man frowned in puzzlement before returning the gesture. He then saluted, and that was something captain was very familiar with, despite the differences in a Peacekeeper salute to his human version.

He taxied the craft to face the open bay doors and flicked on the comm unit. "This is Farscape 1, preparing for takeoff. I have to say, Freedom, this has been the oddest experience of my life. I actually find myself liking a Peacekeeper crew, and something seems almost ...wrong about that. Anywho. We're locked, crocked, and ready to rock. Permission to leave dock?"

"This is Communications. Permission granted, Farscape. And on behalf of the crew, may we wish you well in future journeys. The captain also expresses his hope to meet with you again at a later date to discuss some other ideas he has regarding some tech he thinks you might be able to improve."

"Well Comm, tell old Holty, that I'll definitely think about his offer, and no matter what I decide, I do hope to be able to shoot the breeze with him again. This is John Crighton, signing off, and wishing you all a happy new year, because baby, with all these presents today has to be christmas."

With that, he shut down the comm, and hit the throttle, sending the small craft flying out in to the black expanse of space.


	22. Chapter 21

Again, I own nothing except Angrogein's and Felinoid races and the idea to put these shows together in the way that they are.

It's that time again, here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoy it.

Here's an edited version of CH 21. I wanted to fix a few little things, namely some name stuff.

Wormholes ahead, ho!

8987987987987987987

On Tinman

The living ship shuddered violently as it escaped the event horizon of the phenomena known as a wormhole. The subspace vortex that connected galaxies closed with a flash of light, though the area was flush with residue of it's existence and evidence of it's regularity in opening.

Those aboard the ship took a moment to right themselves and regain their senses. The trip through the ether of wormhole space had been more violent then they had expected. The journey had started out quite peacefully, but had became steadily more turbulent as they traveled. Laol had had to abandon her construction of an interface between the tricorders and Guarm as the rocking of the ship had started shifting non secured materials (including non secured crewmembers) around the interior of the living space as though they were pins in the old Earth game of bowling.

"What happened? Why did the ship loose stability?" asked Taree as she shoved aside the pile of loose packing crates that had fallen on her.

Data moved over to the sensor suite they had installed. It was a desktop sized piece of equipment that was many times more powerful then a tricorder, but not quite as powerful as a ships sensor system. He ran through a check of the passive scanning back logs for the last few minutes, but found nothing. The scans showed no signs of any anomaly or unknown phenomena and held no explanation for why the trip had suddenly become so turbulent.

"I am unable to explain why there was a lose in stability. The sensor scans show nothing that would account for the change." Data stated, running a diagnostic on the software and when that finished, running the hardware tests. There was no damage or errors in either. "The readings indicate nothing different from any other trip through a wormhole taken by StarFleet vessels in the last two decades."

"Any one have any theories then?" asked Reed, who was holding a cloth to a bloody gash on his forehead.

Laol spoke from where she was checking with Tam on Guarm's condition. "I believe that there is something in wormhole space that affects a Leviathan and caused a sort of palsy to affect Guarm. Similar to a human who has had an overdose of some type and becomes jittery and suffers from 'the shakes.' " She ran a scan of Guarm's systems. "The effects were temporary, and with a bit of study, I might find a counter for any future wormhole travels."

"Add that to the long term projects, daughter. We have other things to concern ourselves with. Tam, has Guarm positively identified our location as the coordinates sent to us by the other Leviathan?"

Tam took a moment to consult with his counter part and turned back to Data. "Yes, Data. We are indeed where and when we are supposed to be. The male Leviathan we have been speaking with is only about 2 hours away. Guarm would like to move away from the opening and towards the rim of this system. There are no habitable planets here, but there are some interesting deposits of material in the comet and asteroid belts near the edge of the system."

Data took most of a second to consider their options. "Then let us go to examine the remnants in the same direction as the coming Leviathan. Worf, Taree, the two of you run system checks on the shuttles. I will begin disassembling the transporters and replicators. Lt. Reed, you and Laol work on the communications devices. Tam, I know you have some techinical experience, could you man the enhanced scanners and help translate Guarms sensors into data manageable by the Starfleet issue equipement? Should you require more aid, the alterations we need to make should require no more then the 2 hours until the other ship arrives. Do not hesitate to contact us should you require our assistance."

The small crew nodded to each other and left the bridge to pursue their tasks.

8979879879879798999887

On Moya

John and Aeryn remained silent as they brought the module to a gentle landing on Moya's bay. They ran a last system check and then powered down.

They remained in the module, still considering all that they'd learned on their little trip to the other side.

John broke the silence first. "So what do you think about what Holt was saying?" he asked while pushing the canopy open. The others were now standing at the entrance to the bay, waiting for the pair to join them.

Aeryn stood as the canopy slid out of the way on its tracks. She pondered the question while waiting for her lover to grab his case and stand himself. "I'm not sure what to think. The idea that he killed over 4000 members of his crew is unsettling. Yet the fact that he and others are breaking free of High Command's control is . . . satisfying. It makes me feel better about my leaving when I did. But I am unsure about what he really wants of us. Neither of us have ever had Command experience, so how can they expect us to lead a fleet of renegade ships into battle against High Command and their allies."

They stepped down from the module onto the cool metal floor and made their way over to their crew.

"I don't know Aeryn. Like Holt said though, they and High Command have all been trained in the same tactics and have the same technological base. Even without wormhole tech, In the last few arns, Holt and I were able to adapt and strengthen a shielding system that he's been working on for decades. I know I'm just from a primitive backwater compared to all the races out here, but I seem to have a knack for thinking outside the bounds of what the races here are bound to. Come on, let's tell everyone what's going on with PK's and then get their opinions." He chuckled. "You know, this is odd."

"What Crighton?" Aeryn asked.

"The whole situation right now. Usually we don't have any options, but right now, we are literally loaded with them. We could join the renegades, leave free on our own, stay here and help the Felines, and who knows what else. Usually, our only choices are run for our lives, or find some way to kill what's hunting us THEN run for our lives."

"Hey, D. Got some news and some gadgets for yah. That message was true, but I don't know how long it's going to stay true. Seems PK's just had a major split. Nearly half their forces have broken free of High Command's control, and that ship out there is one of the leaders of the new Rebel Alliance. Plus he's a tech disguised as a commando. Got himself some neat little gadgets that he's given me the plans to. Including an improvement on the busted Defense Screen. Once I get it up and running, Moya's gonna have triple layer shields that will be able to with stand several direct hits from a Command Carrier's Frag Cannon's, Scarren Destroyer's heavy weapons, and might even take a hit or two from a Nebari Mothership. Smaller class ships won't be able to punch through unless there's like a dozen of them firing at the same time. Oh yeah, he also wants us to take command of his little free Fleet. Pretty wild for a few arns, huh?"

Dargo glared at John, not following everything the excitable human crew member had just said, but getting enough to know that whatever had happened on the carrier had excited and pleased the human. he turned to Aeryn, noting the odd expression on her face. "Maybe we should all go up to command and you can explain what happened in a calmer environment."

They made their way up to command, comming the rest of the crew to meet in the central command chamber.

A few microts later they were all gathered around the round table. Jool was going through some of the specs on the portable screen regarding some type of alien biological systems, muttering under her breath. Rygel was complaining about the noise and lack of respect, and Chiana was leaning against Dargo, her eyes darted from person to person in the room. Stark was rocking silently in his seat, his one eye closed his mouth still.

"So here's what happened. Basically, everything old Jed said about us being off limits for PK's is true. None of them are going to chase any of us any more so long as we stay out of their way. Unless we actively interfere with one of their operations, they will ignore us. Now, the only problem is that there's been a schism in the PK ranks. About half their forces have grown tired of the corruption and excesses of the High Command and broken off from the Council's control. This means that right now there are two different groups of PK's. One who is following High Command's order, and the other who is going to be actively trying to over throw the High Command."

Rygel frowned, more familiar with this type of situation then any of the others thanks to his political background. "That could be dangerous to us. What if the rebels take it into their head to try and coerce you to join them and over throw High Command."

John chuckled. "Well, Sparky, don't have to worry about that. That ship out there, which now calls itself 'Freedom Reigns', formerly known as 'Swift Vengeance' is apparently the flag ship of the Rebel Alliance. Captain Holt, also known as Hort, is one of the leaders of the rag tag group of rebels, and he has asked that we, or more specifically I, take command of his fleet. Right now the two factions are about evenly balanced, each knowing everything the other does by way of tactics and such, and so in open conflict the advantage would go to High Command who would call on their allies for additional ships. But Holt feels that with my record of . . . successes against PK forces, that I would be able to think of knew ways to use old tricks and beat HC."

Rygel snorted, an especially disgusting frown coming from the King of Odd bodily functions. "What could YOU be able to do that these renegades think that High Command couldn't counter?"

John grinned and shook his head at the arrogant frog-like being. "Buckwheat, there's a reason I was the #1 Most Wanted on the PK Hit List. We've done more damage to them in the last 4 cycles then any RACE except the Scarrens and Nebari have and hundreds of cycles. Because of the way we work together we can do more then any of us or our races could on their own. Because we each bring a different set of skills and knowledge to the table. Aeryn knows PK tactics and protocols, Dargo knows Luxans and their cousins, Chiana can get us in touch with Nebari social structures, Rygel, you know Hynerian strengths and weaknesses, and Stark is our spiritual guide. Jool is a genius, as she so fondly tells us, and me, well, I might only be human, but I like to think that I'm something of a Jack-of-all-Trades. I might not be as physical advances as you lot, or as technologically advanced, but I adapt better then the rest of you.

I can take your tech, learn it's uses, and add it to my own. The Farscape might seem primitive to you, and after seeing some of the stuff out here, I'd have to agree, but I've taken that primitive tech and added improvements based on what your tech. I can take apart your tech and learn it faster then any of you can. Only Jool and Aeryn can keep up on a tech basis with me. I also have the habit of being able to think outside the box. To come up with ideas and plans that seem strange to you, but that work on Earth and work just as well out here. And I have the added bonus of the Wormhole Tech thanks to the Ancients. I might not be willing to use that tech, but just knowing that it's there is enough of a deterrent for most intelligent beings. Especially after Dam-Ba-Da and Katrazi."

Dargo grunted, his arms folded over his massive chest. "John has a point." he stated reluctantly. "No one else has been able to piece together the bits and pieces of tech that we've come across as well as John. He does come up with some rather unusual solutions to problems. His plans might be insane, but they usually do work. Eventually. Except when it comes to killing Scorpius, but that's not really his fault. Frelling neural clones."

John winced at the reminder of Harvey's existence. He hadn't heard from the White Rabbit in so long he'd nearly forgotten the bastard existed. Or at least, pushed the memory of his existence to the back of his mind. He held his tongue, not wanting to halt the others opinions with some stupid comment.

"Hey, they might be farbot, and Scorpius is a pain in the ezma to all of us. None of us have been able to find a way yet to kill that frelling freak." Chiana exclaimed, leaning away from her regained lover. "You haven't been able to finish the freak off either, Dargo."

Dargo grunted an acknowledgement to Chiana's statement. As much as he hated to admit it, they ALL had their chances to kill the Scarren-Sebeccean hybrid. "Maybe working with these renegades will allow us to find a way to finally finish off that piece of hesmana."

"Ah, but there's the rub, mine capitan. Working with the renegades would get us resources and security, but it would also mean going against High Command, and they might rescind that 'cease & desist' order and set their dogs after us again. They might even bring old Leatherface back out of the dog house and set him gunning for me again."

They all took a moment to consider that. Scorpius was the most dangerous being they had encounter. He was the one enemy they had never had a clear victory over, as even the times they had temporarily beaten him, he'd still managed to pull some minor trick to pull nearly even with them. He was intelligent and sneaky and down right ruthless in a way not even the Scarrens or Nebari could hope to match. He cared only for finding the means to erase the Scarrens existence. There was nothing he wouldn't do and no one he wouldn't use/torture/kill to get what he wanted. He was the antithesis to their own group, and especially to John Robert Crighton, who's main goal in life had become the protection of all races from the excesses of Scarren/Nebari and Peacekeeper abuses. Especially in regards to Wormhole Technology.

"So what are our options? We do have options, right?" Chiana asked.

Aeryn leaned forward. "We have real, valid options this time. Option one is help the renegades overthrow High Command. The downside of doing that is the potential for High Command to recall Scorpius and set him after us again. Another downside would be having to face the Scarrens and Nebari with a weakened fleet after any conflict between the Rebels and the Council. Option two, is avoid the renegades and the Council, and continue as we have done, journeying space at out leisure. Since the PK's are not chasing us anymore, we would be able to do so in peace, barring the Scarren and Nebari sending their own people after us. Option three is staying in this system under the protection of the Roamea. John would have to give them some knowledge about Earth. It seems that their creators took the stock species from some of the wildlife found on Earth. And in order to aid John, he might be obligated to provide them with information on those species or on the whereabouts of Earth."

"There's a few other options and plans we could make, but those are the main choices we have to work through." John added. "I really don't feel comfortable sharing Earth's location with any one, but if I ever shared it with someone it would be these people. They are, after all, descendants of Earth and they deserve to know their history and see the beings they were created from. They already have wormhole tech so I don't have that to share, but they'd give us almost anything to learn about their origins and Earth. And they have some things we might be able to use. There weapon tech seems even more advanced then the Nebari. They could outfit the Prowlers, Lo'La, and Farscape with weapons systems several times more powerful then anything we'd face against the others. And with the new shielding systems Holt and I worked out, we'd be able to take anything they could dish out. Even without the upgraded weapons. Give me two weekens and I'll have the new shield systems installed in all the ships and on Moya. With a little help from Jool."

"So what are we going to do?" asked Chiana, studying the others with her head cocked at a frightening angle.

"I don't know, Pip. I sure as hell don't want Scorpy on my back again, but if we can help the Rebel's wipe out HC, then it would make everyone's life a little easier. Especially if we can get the Rebels and the Roamea to help us, then it would be possible to find a way to kill Scorpy. There's got to be something that will finish that bastard off once and for all." He looked around the others. Rygel had been oddly silent, and so had Stark. Usually Rygel would spout off his opinions and demand they obey him, and Stark would be muttering under his breath about some thing or other, but both had been quiet since they'd started the bull session. Even Jool had been unusually withdrawn. "I won't force any of you to do something you don't want. So I'll leave it up to you. I'm gonna go back to my cell and go over the specs and supplies we have. The device I have, " he patted the case containing one of the prototypes of the new shield system " isn't powerful enough for Moya, but it should be enough for one of the Prowlers. I'll just make sure we can adapt it to Moya's systems and have what we need to build it. The rest of you," he looked at Aeryn, " ALL of you talk this over and see what you think is our best option."

He took the case and left, heading to his quarters and the printout fibers of Moya specs he kept there.

"So any ideas how to do this?" Chiana asked her eyes locked on Aeryn's strangely expressive face.

AN

So while not what I originally had intended, I hope it wasn't too bad. Id wasn't exactly what I wanted, but it was the best I could do. I had lost all desire to write for a while when I had that disk error. 7 chapters that had taken me a week and a half to write lost in 30 seconds.


	23. Chapter 22

Again, I own nothing except Angrogein's and Roamea races and the idea to put these shows together in the way that they are.

Here's CH 22.

Wormholes ahead, ho!

8987987987987987987

Moya

John frowned and bit his lower lip as he studied the internal mechanism of the shielding device. Most of the systems and components he'd become familiar with over the last four cycles, but there were a few new tricks for him to learn. The setup of the field projectors and the power generation was a completely new concept for him. He usually liked to study a working model as well as the schematics of a new device before attempting to alter it's function, but he rarely had time since his mistimed arrival in this galaxy. Now that he had the chance he wanted to fully understand what was going on before he tinkered with the shield system that might one day save all their lives.

And besides, it was an excellent distraction from the conversation that was going on a few tiers away.

987987987987987987987987987987778879

Tinman

"Every one prepare for possible contact. The other leviathan has arrived and a traditional leviathan greeting includes some slight contact and fancy flying." Tam's voice floated through out the ship, startling the inhabitants of the living vessel from their appointed tasks.

The crew assembled into the bridge section and took to the safety seats, locking themselves in with the harnesses. The equipment had already been strapped into place to keep it from any potentially damaging movements. No one spoke, all in their own way preparing for the possibility of some error causing the two massive ships to collide instead of glance off each other.

An hour later they released the harnesses and stood unsteadily before staggering over to the central table they'd been using for their conferences.

"That was an a interesting experience, but not something I would wish to go through each day." Data announced while studying the wan expressions of his crew. Even Tam looked ill at ease and he'd been completely protected from the adverse affects of the leviathan greeting in his cocoon style seat. "I suggest that a status report on our current projects would be appropriate at this time. Laol, how are you and Reed doing on the translation devices?"

The human and android shared a glance before Reed nodded for the week old being to make the report. "We are progressing fairly well, father. We've finalized separating the various language streams from the background transmissions in this regions of space. We still have to assign each of the streams to their host race, but we have identified a few already. We've localized the Peacekeeper dialect, as well as that of a race known as Scarrens. Other's have proven more difficult, as our ears and vocal range are not suited to all of the sounds some of the races seem capable of."

Data nodded, filing the information away into a sub processor for reviewing possible solutions. "Are the shuttles prepared, Worf?"

The Klingon nodded and answered in his deep, nearly menacing voice. "Shuttle one is running a little high on the power consumption, but nothing that affects performance. Since you removed the replicators, I've moved some emergency food stores and medical supplies into the various stowage spaces. Shuttle two seems to be a little stiff in the controls, so I've assigned Yaree to pilot it as she has more small craft fighter experience, and the reflexes to compensate for the slower handling craft, than any of us."

Again the android nodded. "I've nearly completed the alterations on the replicators to allow us to synthesis the more complex materials needed to manufacture more torpedoes. And might allow us to produce low quality deuterium for the warp engines and power systems. Preferably, a source of dilithium would be more efficient, but we can run the shuttles on the deuterium. Power would be limited so only main engines, a weak shield, and maneuvering thrusters would be functional. All weapons systems and non-essential systems would need to be powered down."

"Then we should begin scanning for dilithium as soon as the final tests on the sensor systems finishes." stated Yaree, not fond of the thought of piloting a ship that couldn't fight.

"That is on a list of priorities. Which includes local foodstuffs to supplement our current stock of rations, as well as a pure source of water. If needed we could always hunt down comets and take chunks of the ice to melt into water or other needed chemicals." Data stated, his mind scanning through a few hundred thousand scenarios regarding their current mission. "We have both shelter and movement thanks to Tam and Guarm, as well as localized transportation with the shuttles. We need to find a source of food and water, as well as base materials for the replicators and potential repairs to the shuttles. We are also seeking information on the political situation regarding the most aggressive species in the area, as well as those who might be under their direction. This means that communication is key, and the most important task at the moment is to solve how to communicate with the local races. Laol and Reed are working on that with help from Tam and Guarm. Worf, I'll need you and Yaree to finish altering the replicators with me. It will take some fine tuning to produce viable material for use in photon and transphasic torpedoes and I'll need you and Yaree to run tests on the replicated material." Data turned to Tam as Worf and Yaree nodded. "Does Guarm mention if his friend has heard any news on regarding the goal of our mission?"

"Guarm mentions that the other leviathan, a young male, has heard tales spreading through the leviathan ranks of a former Peacekeeper transport Moya who escaped from the PKs and has been flying free for more then 3 cycles. It seems that the current crew of Moya have become well known among the inhabited worlds, and one being in particular has become the object of a great deal of fear and respect. It seems this being has the ability to control and manipulate weapons so powerful that the use of just one, forced both the Scarrens and Peacekeepers to sign a peace treaty. Neither race was willing to have this alien deploy his weapon in their key and home systems. He destroyed an entire solar system just to keep them from killing each other and in the process destroying potentially hundreds or thousands of species."

"That sounds like what we are looking for." mentions Reed with a hint of a smirk in his voice.

"Then we should try and get a possible location on this Moya. Though I assume it's hard to track a ship capable of jumping star systems in seconds?" Data glanced at Tam as the Betazed was the closest they had to an expert in the technology of this galaxy.

"It's nearly impossible to track a leviathan through starburst itself, but there are ways to track their broadcast beacons between starbursts. It takes time for a ship to build up the proper fluids needed to transit into starburst. You can't know for certain when a ship will come out of starburst, if a ship heads off into starburst at a 25degree angle to your plane of reference, then you know that they will come out of starburst somewhere along that path. It depends on the crew, the amount of fluids built up, and the strength/ age of the leviathan. There are other factors, but those are the more important ones. A leviathan can't turn while in starburst. It can only go straight. It can cut out any time, from 1 second to as long as the fluids last. The average leviathan's tanks can hold enough fluids to make a jump of 2-3 minutes in length. Then there is a technique called Extended Starburst, but we'll skip that for now."

"So the only way to find a leviathan who's starburst is to head in the general direction they went and hope to run into them again while they haven't had time to restock their tanks?" asked Data.

"That's right. Well, if you have a tracking device on the ship, you can follow it's signal. Not during the actual transit, but within minutes of being dumped into normal space. And it usually takes hours and sometimes days to re-produce enough of the needed fluids to engage starburst. Though the ancient ones have out grown the need for those fluids to 'burst over short distances. None has been known to survive as long as Guarm, so his abilities are unheard of in them."

"We are all thankful for his survival and hope that he, and you, can find a home now that you have been returned to his original galaxy." Data stated gently. "I suggest that we now finish the previous tasks before we begin the next." The others all agreed and they parted to begin their work on the projects. One trio to work on communications, and the other to work on the means to aid in their defense during their journey.

987987987978987

Ryar

The old man sighed as his young counterpart once again took the liberty to ensure their solitude. He spared a second to glance down at what used to be one of his favorite bodyguards and shook his head slightly. The man was a mute and totally loyal to him, but his guest would have no one knowing of his presence.

"Really my young friend, need you have been so . . . brutal. You could have silenced him easily without causing him to suffer."

The younger man, cloaked and hooded in the darkest of materials scoffed at the words of his elder patron. "There's no pleasure to be found in a peaceful kill, old man. Our people have forgotten that. They've grown soft and bloated with their peace and wealth."

The old man again shook his head. "There is little time for your espousing your philosophical opinions, Mir. I have a task I need you to complete and I don't know how much longer the target will remain in our system."

"Bah, let him leave. I'll still hunt him down and finish him." the former soldier stated with a growl. "Who is the target and how do you want it to happen?"

Doreater Pringa slid a sheath of film towards the powerful male. "This is a list, with photos, of your targets in order of priority and threat. Note that the main target is also the main threat, despite his meager physical appearance and obvious shortcomings. The other s will fight to protect him, and they might be a match even for you and your men. They've managed to destroy as large a portion of Peacekeeper forces as the Scarrens and Nebari combined over the last three cycles. They've gone to great lengths to aid each other and those in need, even at the cost of their own."

He leaned back with a soft grunt. "As for how I want it done, do what you do best. The messier and noisier the better. I want this to be an example to those fools on the council and to my other enemies. No one, not even the infamous and dangerous John Crighton is beyond my grasp."

The young male roared with laughter as he recognized who he was soon to be targeting. "This one, I'd almost pay you for, Pringa. Rest assured old man, I will kill Crighton and his crew and any one else who gets in my way. Even my pathetic brother." The criminal once known as Tamir Ya let out another roar of laughter as he gathered the file and left through a hidden entrance, already making plans for completing his new assignment. he would show his foolish brother and those who'd scorned his methods their folly, and he'd start by slaughtering the being that they were looking towards as a savior of their people.

978987987987987987987987987987

Moya

John was still puzzling over how to enlarge the needed shielding system to adjust for Moya's side when a clattering of footsteps and the humming of a throne-sled interrupted his concentration. The fact that the sounds even reached his mind was a clear indication that he needed a break, as he usually blocked out anything but pulse fire when he was working on a new discovery. He said nothing but tinkered with some of the circuitry while waiting for the others to speak.

"John, we've come to a decision. We've found another option that you didn't think of earlier." stated Dargo, asserting his nominal authority as 'captain'. They'd held a vote several monens ago to try and establish a bit of order and command structure for dealing with their enemies and other people and Dargo had been selected captain. But every one there knew that John was the one they all looked to when things started to go to hesmana.

He turned and studied his friends, his family. 5 years ago he didn't even really believe that aliens existed. At least not of the walking talking, shoot you for looking at them cross eyed kind of aliens famous in movies. He'd always thought that if life existed elsewhere in the universe then it would be so different from Earth's brand of life that interaction between the two would be nearly impossible. He'd certainly never believed that there was INTELLIGENT life out there. But these people, these ALIENS had taken him under their wing, and after many shared struggles, they'd become a family. One just as special to him as his blood kin on Earth. Maybe even more special in some ways, since his Earth family had never had to endure the hardships that he'd shared with the crew of this living ship.

There had been losses along the way, but also new discoveries. They'd started as a group at each other's throats and now, there wasn't a single person on Moya he would give his life to protect. Even Rygel. And he knew that each would give their own life to protect him, and even each other. Any one of them would gladly sacrifice themselves if it meant that another of them would live.

So now, he waited as his family prepared to tell him what the next few monens were going to entail. A life of useless wandering, being involved with the PK's and facing even more danger then they ever had before, or staying here and living a life of relative leisure as he instructed the Roamea on the history of Earth?

Whatever they had decided, he was prepared to live by the choice. He'd given up the dream of Earth, as he knew he could never return to the home he loved. Too much had changed, both there and inside himself. He no longer fit on Earth, and he had accepted it. He wouldn't mind a few more visits, but he knew that he would never live there again. That life was over, and the next phase was about to begin. Whatever it was.

97987987987987987

Cliff hanging end! Don't you just love to hate when that happens.

I have three different possibilities roughly plotted out. I'm looking for reader opinions on what should they choose. I'll also take any that aren't given options. Below are a few options that I've either considered or am considering. Whatever option, expect that meetings of Guarm/Starfleet and Moya/Farscape to happen and an exchange of ideas.

A. Join the Renegades and possibly face death by the High Command, the Scarrens and the Nebari.

B. Stay at Ryar and explain the history of Earth and possibly the location to the Roamea while still facing attempts to kill them by Scarrens and Nebari forces.

C. Run from it all and keep living as they have been, except not being actively chased by anyone but knowing that any chance encounter with a PK/Scarren/Nebari/other could result in their being hunted again.

D. return to Earth and ignore the problems.

E. Return to same time Earth, gather fleet of StarFleet/other vessels, go to Uncharted Territories and help Renegades bring down High Command, introduce Ryar to Earth with open arms, have news of Starfleet reaching Scarren and Nebari and they back down in face of stronger, better organized enemies with tech they can only dream of. Occasional attempts to gain Federation techs like transporters and the like by various races.

Let me know what you think should happen of the above. Any combinations or alterations also welcome. I'll try to incorporate the most popular suggestions into the storyline. The voting will be held for 2 weeks. Starting day I post this to 14 days after. Results will be posted then, and chapter containing results within 2 weeks of then. Unless there's strong call for shorter voting and faster chapters.

The more people who place their opinions, the more likelihood is that I'll post faster. I have a number in my head that I would like to have vote, and if that happens before the 14 days, then I will get working on the next chapters faster.

vote by either reviewing and placing your selection in the review, or email to with the subject of Displacement of Time and Space Vote.

All voters will be mentioned, and if email includes short bio of character (either trek or Farscape) I might even work that character into the story at later time.


	24. Chapter 23 A

Again, I own nothing except Angrogein's and Roamea races and the idea to put these shows together in the way that they are.

Here's CH 23

Option E was by far the most popular selection from reviewers. At the end of the chapter is a list of all those who voted. I thank you all for caring enough to take the time to let me know your opinions, especially those who went that extra step.

Tinman was the name given to the entity by StarFleet. It was not it's natural name. I keep forgetting what the real name is, so I use Guarm. I think it was something like Gorem, but I kept loosing the name so I made it Guarm.

So in order to fit all the reviews and request, I'll try merging a few of the options.

Wormholes ahead, ho!

Thanks go to the following for reviewing and stating their preferences:

Jonny G., tijgetje, prometheus-1984, Genesis, WBH21C, grayangle, k3tig, Albert G, Blade Dragoon, Darklight, X-Over, Gatemaster, Dave Lister(love the name), Polaris, A SPECIAL THANKS TO bigguy204 for the time and effort into his review (its like you were reading my mind in some ways), SADDAMINSANE.

A Few answers for review questions:

Darklight, Data no longer has Spot. Sadly Spot died when Enterprise crashed.

John isn't going to stumble on leviathan weapons, but Guarm will help Moya learn how to grow them.

Deichtine, Tinman was the name given to a living ship found in a remote sector of space near the Romulan border. It's actual name was Gomtuu(thanks to k3tig for reminding me of the name), but since I could never remember that, I gave it the name Guarm.

MANY, I know the correct spelling is Crichton. I use Crighton for a personal reason. It's pronounce Crigh'tAn to rhyme with Light'An. So I write Crighton to remind myself of the pronunciation of the word because whenever I read Crichton, I hear KriK'Ton or CriCH'ton to have the ICH sound. SO it's just a reminder how to sound the word. And I think it looks better so there.

8987987987987987987

Tinman

"Guarm has made contact with a leviathan that knows Moya's whereabouts. She is sending him the spacial coordinates and Starburst directions. Hopefully we can get to Moya within a few hours. How is the communications array coming?" Tam stated as they again met in the central chamber.

"Everything is going fairly well. We have integrated the samples provided by the leviathans into the filters and are in the process of decoding the super and sub harmonics into a format capable of being used by Alpha Quadrant races." Laol stated.

"Once we received the location of Moya, we will head towards her at ¾ max speed, depending on how far from our current location she is. Does any one have any concerns about meeting this ship and her crew? We should discuss the possible outcomes of our meeting and how much and how far we would be willing to go to aid them if they need our help." Data paused and studied the others, waiting for a speaker.

The smooth skinned Angrogein spoke. "Will we possibly be traded technical data with the species of this galaxy? While they do not possess Warp Drive, they do possess a drive or near equivalent and potentially superior speeds. And while they might be deficient in some areas of technology, they surpass even the Borg when it comes to biotechnology. The fact that we are on a living ship and are traveling to meet a second living ship is proof of that, but there is also the translator microbes and the potential for other such organic technology that is equal to and might surpass the mechanical and technological means we currently use. From the technical designs that Guarm has provided, the weapons of the area are not that far above low level projectiles. Instead of metallic projectiles emitted from striking crude fuses, they mainly fire chemical projectiles of similar size to the old Earth's .45 caliber hand guns and .3006 rifles, with some reaching firing rates equivalent to the heavy machine guns of the late 20th and early 21st century of Earth history. They are fueled by chemical cells called oil cartridges, and only certain oils work in certain combinations and equipment. The main one in use by most of the dominant races is something called 'chak kan' oil, which is usually used in a cartridge that can be used in almost any weapon, from the pistol class to heavy rifle class, though shots per cartridge very when used in different classes of weaponry."

Worf spoke next, continuing where the increasingly interesting woman ended. "Chakkan oil is mainly harvested from something called a Tannot root. I would suggest that as soon as possible, we gather a supply of local weaponry and these Tannot root for analysis and possible replication. We should also begin wearing clothing of a more casual or non militant appearance. The diversity of life in this galaxy means that no one will look twice at our differences, though they will single all but myself and Lt. Cmd. Taree as being Sebeccean, which Guarm informs us is one of the three dominant races. It would be best to continue to allow them to think that until we get more information on how they would react to a race so similar yet different to what they know."

"That would be prudent, but while Laol can easily pass as a normal human, or in this case Sebeccean, I am still quite different in appearance even if my general construction mimics humanity. I am more able to pass now, thanks to the emotion chip Geordi and I were able to salvage, but not physically. My coloration of skin and eyes is too different to pose as Sebeccean, unless I pose as a member of an off shoot race." Data stated, calculating the probabilities of success of their plan. "Tam, does Guarm have an empty bay that could fit a small craft similar to those used in this region?"

Tam smiled and nodded. "I anticipated that request, Data, and Guarm has nearly finished growing a transport pod which should be identical to those in use today. It is an unarmed craft, but if we need to undertake any subterfuge by posing as displaced natives, we will have that ability. Unfortunately, a transport pod of this type is a part of Guarm, and as such any prolonged absence from Guarm's presence would cause the pod to 'die' and shut down."

"How long an absence are we talking about here, Tam?" asked Reed, following the conversation but remaining silent until now. "3-4 hours? 12 hours?"

"A fatal flaw in structural integrity usually begins to occur after roughly 4 days from being able to recharge and heal inside a leviathan's pod bays." Tam stated calmly. "We will need to be aware of that time frame when choosing away missions and deciding how to get where we need to go. Remember, the transporters are going to be very limited in range and power, so we will need to take the transport pod or shuttles whenever we leave the ship."

"I believe that we now have a working plan of action for the foreseeable future and that we are as prepared as we possibly can be for any unforeseen happenings. Once Guarm is ready, we will head to meet Moya, and hopefully, learn what we need to know about this galaxy." Data studied his crew, allowing his emotions to flare as he took in the determined, yet excited looks on most faces. "One last thing before we return to our tasks. As these races have obtained a similar technological level to early warp cultures, the Prime Directive does not apply. If need be, we have permission of the Federation Council to trade technological secrets for equivalent value in resources, knowledge or technology. The one area in which we are asked to hold back is in the area of our shielding and weapons technology. We can trade the basic data for phaser technology and early shielding, but not the most recent advances in those areas. Bare that in mind during our survey missions to be on the look out for possible technological data that we might find of interest, especially in the biomedical field."

Everyone agreed and assented to Data's request and the small gather dispersed to their various functions. Data alone remained in the chamber for a moment, pondering the potential unknown dangers they might encounter. Then he too left, heading back to work on the replicators of the shuttles.

98989898989898989898

Moya

"So what are we gonna do?" John asked as he waited for some reply to his earlier requests.

"We are going to try something different. We are going to , as the Earp saying goes, have our cake and beat it two." Dargo stated from his position near the entrance to the bay. "We will remain here with the Roamean for a monen or two to replenish Moya's stores and give her time to heal. During that time you and Jool should learn as much of their tech as possible, while giving them some details about Earth. Perhaps you can show them the vid-eo's of your family and the news casts from Earth taken during our visit there a few monen ago. Let them see for themselves what Erp is like, though if you are correct about the wormhole sending you to a different time as well, then surely things are different on Earth now. Perhaps they could aid you to gain better navigational control during wormhole travel, since it seems they already are familiar with that technology."

John nodded as he could see that this could lead to a solid relationship with the Roamean government. Trade some harmless info about Earth, but not it's location, which technically, he didn't really know yet any way. He had yet to find a way to find familiar reference points for anything that might be seen from the Sol system. "What next?"

"We are not yet willing to go into battle with any Peacekeeper forces. Even those that have rejected the High Command. They might claim to have a more tolerant attitude, but the fact that they killed such large portions of their crew with almost no regard to their past associations worries us." Dargo replied, being the spokesman for the group.

"Yeah, any one who'd kill their friends and lovers like that, we don't want to have to trust to watch our backs if the dren hits the fan." Chiana added with her customary lilt.

"Okay, so we don't join up and become the Rebel Alliance leaders. Are we just gonna ignore them and let them take on High Command themselves?" John asked.

"No. While we aren't ready to fight with them, we are willing to pass on any information we might gather regarding the High Command's efforts to counter them. We will make this system something of a base, a safe haven for ourselves since no one is willing to risk angering the Roamea into leaving their small sectors. No one knows exactly how powerful the Roamea are, but the Nebari and Scarrens have lost many ships trying to take this quadrant, and the official Peacekeeper line is that this area of space is uninhabitable for Sebecceans and thus of no worth." Aeryn answered as she watched her lover watching them. "High Command stopped sending ships to pacify or control this region nearly 200 cycles ago, for fear that the Roamea would grow angry and aggressive. They allow a few rare trips from lone Carriers to visit and test the defenses, but most races agree that attacking Roamean space is suicide. They have access to a for of tech that no one understood or could name until only a few cycles ago."

"Wormholes." John stated with a sigh. It always came back to the damn spatial phenomenon. "I'm surprised old Leatherface hasn't shown up yet. We've been here a few days now."

Stark laughed, and John started, having forgotten that the Bannick slave was even there. "He's been here before, John, tried to take what wasn't his and had his hand slapped for putting it in the cookie jar. There's and active warrant in Roamean territory for Scorpius' head. It's his death if he comes within a dozen parsecs of here, and he knows it. Why do you think he really wanted you so bad. He'd heard all about where the Roamean creators took their genetic samplings and when you showed up, looking so much like a Sebeccean, and having so much genetic material in common with both Sebeccean and Roamean, as well as possessing knowledge of wormholes, he was desperate to get you under his control. Yes, he wanted your knowledge of wormholes, but he was also digging for any information on the location of Earth, so that he could trade it to the Roamea for access to their knowledge. They are far beyond any other race in the genetic sciences and among other things, Scorpius is working on trying to find the means of increasing Sebeccean tolerance to heat."

"Back to the matter at hand, what are we going to do? We've agreed that we can't actively help the rebels, but we are willing to effectively spy for them. What else? We aren't staying here forever, and once we do head back into the big bad verse, things are gonna change. The Scarren and Nebari are gonna be picking at PK territory while the PK's fight amongst themselves and no doubt they will be after us again. So where do we go from here?" John asked.

Pilot's voice broke over the comm. "Commander, I believe I might have a solution to our problems. At least, temporarily."

"What's up Pilot?" John asked.

"For some days now, Moya has been receiving odd requests for her location and crew information from a band of free leviathans some distance away. As we approached Roamea space, the requests crew more forceful and frequent, and not long ago, we received notice to remain in this system until the arrival of and Old One, who returned to this region of space though what they describe as a 'tunnel of light and energy'. The Old One has been seeking the aid of a guide from our region to provide him with information on the political and social standings of the various races, and since Moya has become something of a celebrity to the Free Leviathans, her name was mentioned to him as well as some of our recent exploits and he has deemed her to be the one he wishes to aid him."

"So what are you saying Pilot? And what's and Old One. The tunnel of light and energy is a wormhole, but the rest seems like gibberish to me." John stated with his typical wit. "Is this Old One thing cruising for a date, or is he a census taker?"

"The Old Ones, are the first Leviathans to roam free space. They have been thought long dead, Commander, and are revered by the Leviathans nearly as much as the Creators. I too took the reference to mean a wormhole, and from what the messages we've received have said, the Old One was lost in a region of space unknown to him and only recently was able to find the means to return to the home galaxy. He is coming from a region that is just recovering from a massive series of interstellar wars, and would like to gain information on the dominant races of the region, as those he knew have long since died out. He is bringing representatives of a spatial alliance called the Federation of Planets. The Federation's spatial branch is known as StarFleet and they are primarily assigned to seek out new life and explore the universe, while defending the peoples of the Federation from outside threat."

"Sounds interesting and I'd love to meet them but why should this all interest me?"

"Crighton, the leviathan that is coming claims that the main race behind the Federation is Human. From a planet called Earth." There was a pause as Pilot allowed that to sink into the minds of the crew. "And John? The date the Leviathan believes it to be in Federation terms is almost 500 years after the time you come from. John, if he is right, it is confirmation that not only did the wormhole throw you through space, but also sent you some 400 years into the future from your time."

"Well that . .. sucks. I hate being right. It's almost as bad as when I'm wrong." John stated with a tired sigh. "So that's what we're doing? Waiting for this other, prehistoric Leviathan to show up and start asking us about the bad boys on the block while we confirm or deny that they have real, Earth based humans on board? And we have to do that BEFORE Scorpy finds out about this ship, because even the rumors of more humans traveling through yet another wormhole to get here would bring that freak after then and us."

"Frell. We completely forgot about that half-breed." Dargo exclaimed. "That does make it a bit different, doesn't it. So we meet with this Leviathan first, then decide what to do about the PK, Renegades and the Roamea."

John sighed. Things were starting to get even more complicated then ever, and things hadn't been simple in the first place.


	25. Chapter 23 B

Again, I own nothing except Angrogein's and Roamea races and the idea to put these shows together in the way that they are.

Here's CH 23 b.

if there's a part like (1) or (a) or something, it's because I want to add a comment about a line that didn't fit with the character speaking or it explains in other words what they meant.

here's a little Farscape swearing lesson:

Frell-----Fuck

Dren----Shit

hezmana---either hell or damn, depending on context (go to hezmana, Hezmana-God damn)

farbot----nuts/crazy/insane

eema----ass

tralk---skank/slut/whore

8987987987987987987

John swore. "If that ship really does have humans aboard, that changes everything. Pilot, send a message to the Leviathan letting it know where we are and how to get here. We're going to have to wait for them." He turned to his friends. "If humans have advanced enough to be a part of an organisation called the Federation, then that means they must have some pretty powerful tech behind them. Especially if they are able to reach here and communicate with a Leviathan. We can not let Scorpius learn how they got here. We will have to go to the place they got here and shut down any wormholes before Scorpy is able to locate them and get a fleet over into their space."

Aeryn frowned. "John, I don't think High Command is going to worry about that just now. With the factioning of Peacekeeper forces, and the Scarrens and Nebari threats, they have too muc hto worry about right now to try and make more enemies by stealing tech."

"That's not what I'm worried about, babe. I'm more worried that Scorpy will head over and somehow convince this Federation to HELP High Command. You know how convincing he can be and the kind of dren he can spin together. Just imagine what he could spin to races who've never heard of Scarren or Sebeccean before. Nowing they're human, he could try and convince them that he is part human and needs their help to fight the evils of this galaxy." He made sure to meet everyone's eyes. "Probably with us at the top of the list, then the Scarrens and Nebari."

"Oh frellnick." moaned Chiana. "Why does zipperhead have to keep bothering us. I thought that after we got that message from the First Admiral that he'd be sent were he couldn't hurt us again. He's taken too much from us, from all of us not just Crighton."

"I know Pip, oh Lordy do I know. I miss Zhaan too. And the whole Jothee thing he set up to mess with you and Dargo. Not to mention when the neural clone forced me to do to ya'll. I never thought I could hate this much, but I just want to tear the bastard apart with my bare hands for what he's done to all of you, nevermind the dren he's pulled with me." John took a deep, calming breath. "But let's stick to what's important right now. If Earth is part of some type of alliance and has the means to protect themselves, then that frees me up a bit. I'll be able to share some info with Lyar and the Roamea that I might not have given them. I won't give Earth's locations, but I can point them in the general direction. I also can give them more info about the species the were evolved from. As much as I'm able to remember and might be on those encyclopedia discs we got last time we visited."

"Commander, we are receiving another message." Pilot's voice interupted his train of thought. "It's from the other Leviathan. He has acknowledged you message and will set course and Starburst in this direction immediately. He thinks it should be another day or two before he arrives."

"So then let's get cracking. Aeryn, Jool, you're with me. We're gonna go back and meet with Lyar again, if we can. I'll just have to get down and grab the discs and the portable player from my quarters. Dargo, get in touch with Holt and let him know that we are thinking about his request. Don't tell him anything about the other ship or the possible humans onboard. Chi, I need you to go through the rest of the discs and vid stuff from Earth. You know how to work the editting stuff? Good. Put together a package of clips about things that might interest someone going to Earth for the first time. I know that things have probably changed in 400 years, but the Roamea wormhole engine has a very good time and space measuring system, so they could go visit Earth at any time they want, as well as the 'current' time frame. Hell if they were smart, and introduced themselfs into the current time frame or a future frame, they might scrounge up some business as the ultimate tourist getaway. I can see the ads now: Always curious about the Middle Ages? Want to explore the Roarin' 20's or visit the Dawn of the Space Age? Well now you can, with Roamea Travel Inc! Visit the time frame of your choice. Space limited, authentic clothing and monetary exchanges available. But keep my family out of it. I don't want anyone getting their hands on vids of them they might use later to track them down or manipulate me."

"I know exactly what to show them. And don't worry, I'm not talking about all the naked people running around. There's some interesting stuff on your world we didn't get to go see, and I want another chance to visit myself." the grey skinned woman stated with a saucy grin on her face.

"Crighton, why do I have to go back? Why can't I stay and help Chiana and Dargo go with you?" Jool whined, demonstrating yet another in her nearly limitless series of whinny tones. They'd recently starting only leaving the ship in groups of three or more. John and Aeryn's little stay with Holt not withstanding.

"Because you are a genius, Jool, and I might need your help with some of the technical aspects I want to talk about. Things like genomes and genetic sequencing and stuff that I don't really understand." John replied calmly, well used to ignoring the tone of Jool's voice, while still hearing and humoring her statements. "Besides, leaving you, Chi and Rygel up here while the rest of us go? I'd like to have a place to come back to thanks." He turned away and regarded one of the DRD's. Pilot, can you and Moya keep track of any incoming signals and outgoing signals from the Carrier and any signals not of Roamean origin? I want to know if the Scarren's have any agents in system. I doubt they'd leave any potential threat alone, especially one that might harbor me."

"Of course Commander. With the captain's permission?" Pilot asked over the comms.

Dargo grunted. He might have been voted captain, but everyone knew that John was the one they all saught to make plans and decisions. "Pilot, I also want Moya to scan the nearby space. Don't let any crafts board. If any threaten to harm, we'll contact the carrier and the Roamean government about the threat. And I'll go out in Lo'la to make sure they don't try and force their way on."

John nodded. He hadn't thought of that. "Frell, I can't wait to get that shielding up and running. Once it's done, we won't have to worry about dren like that any more."

Rygel harrumphed from his ThroneSled. "What, no tasks for me for once? No ordering of your betters?"

John snapped his fingers as he remembered the Dominar. "Oh yeah, Ryge. I forgot about you Sparky. Why don't you and Stark go make sure everything was stored away properly. Wouldn't want any of that food we traded for to go to waste now, would we?"

Rygel smiled and his tiny grubby hands started twirling his thin white moustache. "Ah, an excellent task for one such as I. Come Stark, let's head to the main chamber and check on the food stuffs." Stark and Rygel started turning to leave, but John called out again.

"Don't eat it all, Sparky. Stark, keep Sparky in check, okay? We don't know what's gonna happen with this other Leviathan and the PK's so let's not use up all our supplies in case we can't get more later. We've been eating pretty decently for the last few monens and I know no one wants to have to go back to only food cubes." Saying that, he, Aeryn ,and Jool went over to the transport pod as Pilot remotely started the flight sequence.

987987987978987987

ON Guarm

Tam opened his eyes and touched his comm badge. "Data? This is Tam. Guarm and I have received a message from the ship we have been searching. They have sent their current location and the starcharts needed to Starburst there. We can at extended Starburst reach the system within a period of 30-34 hours, but it would be best for everyone to remain in their quarters as there will be extreme disorientation and disruption in certain biological systems."

Data's voice came back over the comms. "Any serious or dangerous symptoms, Tam?"

"Nothing dangerous, but it will be most uncomfortable for the crew. Dizzyness, nausea, loss of balance and vertigo, as well as possible increase in less savory biological functions (1)."

"You recommendations have been noted and I have relayed the order to quarters to the crew. Let us know when it is safe to move. I shall be shutting myself down for the duration, and Laol has expressed a similar sentiment. She wishes to experience her dreams. To wake us, just send a signal over the comms and we shall reactivate automatically."

"Sweet dreams my friend." Tam stated as Data signed off. "Well Guarm, I think Data had a good idea. I'm going to rest. If something happens or you need me, wake me." Tam returned to his bed and smiled as a part of the wall slid over to cocoon him in place.

98797979798798

First, here's something:

(1) causes diahrea and lost of bladder control during extended starburst and possible projectile vometing. All things you don't want to happen in front of other people.

well, hope this worked for you all. I like how it's going.


	26. Chapter 24

Again, I own nothing except Angrogein's and Roamean races and the idea to put these shows together in the way that they are.

Here's ch 24.

if there's a part like (1) or (a) or something, it's because I want to add a comment about a line that didn't fit with the character speaking or it explains in other words what they meant.

here's a little Farscape swearing lesson:

Frell-----Fuck

Dren----Shit

hezmana---either hell or damn, depending on context (go to hezmana, Hezmana-God damn)

farbot----nuts/crazy/insane

eema----ass

tralk---skank/slut/whore

789987789987789987789

On Ryra

John and Aeryn left the office, twin frowns on their faces. The meeting with Lyar hadn't gone as well as they'd hoped. The leader of the Roamean space forces hadn't been able to give them any help in coming to a decision, but he had promised to do his best to convince the political leaders that helping John would be in their best interest. In exchange, John agreed that if they were able to help him and offer him a safe haven against the growing danger of potential retaliation from the High Command or the Renegades, then he would be willing to work with their spacial engineers to discover the absolute zero location of Earth in relation to Ryra.

It seems that Lyar was currently tied up with a search for an escaped criminal from the most secure military prison in the system. He hadn't given many details, save that the man, known only as Yeeroa, was responsible for the deaths of at least 100 thousand people through various terrorist activities he had directed during the last civil war. He was known to have a loyal crew of followers willing to die for him, and would do any job for almost any price, so long as it meant he was allowed to kill the target in a manner he chose. In fact, he charged less money for large scale killings then for individual murders. Rumors were circulating that a high ranking member of the Parliament had aided in his escape and contracted him to perform a job.

"Well, what now, Crighton?" Aeryn asked, automatically scanning the crowd. She had a strange feeling that they were being watched, and it wasn't by a fan.

John, also with that feeling but refusing to let it bother him, shrugged. "Don't know yet babe. I guess we could just wait for that other leviathan to arrive. We should at least call Holt up and let him know that we are thinking about our choices, so that he doesn't think we're ignoring his offer. Other then that, I have no clue. Lyar says he's going to pressure the government to help us, but that he's also stuck looking for that Yeeroa guy. Given what he told us about him, I don't mind being put into second place until they catch him. He sounds like a sick son of a bitch. I bet he and Scorpy would be great pals."

Aeryn grinned. "Either that or they'd slaughter millions trying to outdo each other. Though to be fair, Scorpius at least claims that he only kills in order to research his various interests, not because it's the only pleasure he knows."

A flicker of movement to the left, and the pair instinctively dove aside from each other, going into rolls and drawing their side arms. The pulse ammo of a pistol seared the air where they'd been standing in a direct line with both their heads, a certain dual kill shot that they'd only barely dodged. Unfortunately, a passerby going about their own business was not as lucky and was blown off their feat as the fiery chemical impact struck the slight frame in the back, causing a massive hole. John and Aeryn returned fire with ingrained precision in a direct line towards the area they unconsciously calculated the shot to come from. They swore when their fire was blocked by a personal shield and they had to dive for cover as a second shooter blaster holes in the ground near them. John kept aim on the first shooter while Aeryn tried to spot the second.

By now people were screaming and scrambling for the exits and the security staff had drawn weapons and were trying to maintain order. A few more shots from hidden areas flashed out and struck down several of the guards, revealing that there was a group of shooters and not just the pair. John and Aeryn exchanged looks and slowly started to move back while the attackers were busy taking out the guards, but were halted in their attempt to reach the safety of the office when a larger blast slammed into the wall next to the door and sent a shower of debris sailing over them.

Seeing that they couldn't retreat and that the small weapons they had brought were ineffective against the shielded attackers, they exchanged glances and nods towards the exit. John had already tried the comms, but they were being blocked. Turning away and sending several shots towards the attackers they'd already spotted, they rose as one and broke for the door, moving in a jerky, uncoordinated manner that would make it harder for the snipers to track their direction. There was no pattern to their movements, and they often crossed over and behind each other, spinning and firing shots back when shots came too close. Several more bystanders had been hit, and some were still lying on the ground, crying out in pain, only to be silenced as the other shooters turned on them while the two shielded attackers continued to try and hit John and Aeryn.

As they passed the body of one of the guards, Aeryn lept into a forward roll and came up with his oddly shaped rifle while tossing John her pistol. he caught it without looking and spun to fire both in a manner she had heard him refer to as gunslinging. She then took a few more steps, turned and allowed herself to fall onto her back, sliding along the smooth floor while firing the powerful weapon. The recoil on the weapon was strong enough to push her along the ground, which was now slick with the blood of the dead.

They reached the door and slid around the corner. Like a lot of official buildings there was a small foyer just after entering the building and then a second set of doors leading to the interior. They were now hidden behind the wall of the second, inner set of doors, though this was scant cover as the heavier weapons were blasting holes through the wall and the thick wooden door. John pulled Aeryn around the corner and helped her to her feet. She slipped the long overcoat she'd been wearing off, grimacing at the red stains of blood on the black leather.

"Any plans?" she asked her lover, sticking her head around the corner to fire at the last known position of the first shooter. She felt a grime satisfaction as she heard a yelp and saw a form fall from the second tier. At least the weapon she'd stolen off the dead guard could get through the shields. She ducked as the heavy cannon fired and took out a torso sized hole in both the inner door and the even thicker outer door.

"Survive long enough for help to get here." John stated shoving the barrels of the pistols through one of the large holes and firing blindly at their attackers.

Aeryn rolled her eyes. "Any ideas on how to do that? There's at least a dozen heavily armed, and shielded, attackers out there, and we have two ineffective pulse pistols and a slightly more effective rifle of some kind. Their weapons are blasting through the wall we are using for cover, and even though its only a metra or two away, we can't reach the exit without being hit."

"When you put it that way, it sounds hopeless." John stated, ducking back down. He placed Wynona in her holster and started fiddling with Aeryn's pistol.

Aeryn returned fire and glanced at him. "What are you doing, John?"

"Remember the first time I tried using one of these?"

Aeryn's eyes widened for a second and she swore. "I hate it when you do that. I liked that pistol. The grip was just right. Took me monens to wear the grip into a comfortable shape."

John chuckled as he set up an overload in the pulse chamber of the pistol. "And here I thought I was farbot for preferring Wynona because, as you said in your own words, 'all weapons of similar models are the same. it is foolish to prefer one over another.' " He tossed her the now ticking bomb, and she threw him the rifle. He lept across the gap to the other side of the door way, and resting on his stomach, starting firing into the advancing enemies, who from what he could see, looked like Roameans in what he assumed was the standard uniforms for the criminals of this sector. He took out a few, but they soon fixated on him and started blasting away his protection. He glanced at Aeryn and nodded.

Aeryn spun out from behind the wall, and threw the pistol left handed then ducked back behind the wall. The attackers never even noticed her. John also rolled aside, then slid the rifle back across the gap while drawing Wynona.

There was a lull in the firing and they could here the distinct whine of the overcharging pulse chamber as the pistol tumbled through the air. Time seemed to slow, and they each risked a glance, watching as the pistol spun through the air and bounced off the shield of one of the attackers to clatter on the smooth stone floor. The sound of it striking the ground, and the increasing whine attracted the attention, and John and Aeryn drew back just in time to avoid being blinded by the flash as the pistol exploded.

The damage done to the lobby of the office was extensive. Even shielded, the furthest of the attackers were sent flying off their feet while those closer to the blast were burned by the raging chemical fire and shredded with the shrapnel of the pistol, chips of stone from the ground, and fragments of the weapons of those nearest the explosion. The five closest were dead before their remains hit the ground, while the next group of three would need emergency care within microts to live long enough to bleed to death. The other four had been far enough to avoid any damage from the explosion and their shields had blocked most of the shrapnel. But the shock wave had disoriented them and knocked them off their feet.

Now having a moment's time, John and Aeryn were able to scrambled out the door and out of range of whatever was blocking the comm signals.

"D'argo! We need help, big guy. Some local yokels attacked us after our meeting with Lyar. Heavily armed, wearing personal shields stronger then anything we've gone against, and well organized. They killed a bunch of non combatants and most of the guards inside the building. All we've got on us are Wynona and a scavenged rifle. Sad to say, but the old girl is useless against the shields, and the rifle is getting low on ammo. There's at least 8 dead attackers, four wounded, but waking, and who knows how many others. Grab some heavy weapons and head over here in Lo'la. Lo'la. We're gonna make our way towards the module. Damn. Should have listened it Aeryn and taken the prowlers."

Aeryn took a moment to look around before adding her own instructions. "D'argo, contact the Command Carrier and let Holt know what happened. Ask him to contact the Roamean government to let them know that there are wounded enemies and non combatants still alive in the building. Have him inquire if he can send some troops and ships to aid in capturing the attackers. I'm certain they must have a ship. They were wearing identical comm badges and holster rigs. You only see that in a military unit. I think they were mercenaries."

D'argo's gruff voice came back over the comms. "Pilot is relaying the message to the Renegades. I am on the way. Do either of you need medical attention, or expect to need it soon?"

John sighed. "Bring Jool just in case. Have Moya move over to the Renegade fleet just to be safe. From what I understand, a former space corp captain turned traitor and mass murderer, is probably the person behind this attack. Or at least, he was hired for it. We don't know if we were the main targets, if if they were after any one meeting with Lyar. This guy, Yeeroa they call him, has a large crew, and they think he's stashed several ships and a full armory of weapons in some base in the asteroid field around the 5th planet. So shields on, fade out, and come in hot and ready to fight."

"Understood. D'argo out." The comm clicked twice, a code they'd worked out to show that the connection would remain on active reception, but passive sending. D'argo would hear everything they said and did, but no one would hear what was happening on his end.

"Well Sundance, ready for another thrillin' shootout?"

Aeryn gave her lover a grin. "As ready as always, Butch."

The pair smirked at each other and clinked their weapons together in imitation of a salute during a fancy party or private dinner.

9879879879879879879797

On Gammack Base

The lieutenant was a nervous wreck as he approached his commanding officer with the news he'd received. "Excuse me sir. But I've just received word from the unit you assigned to track Commander Crighton and the leviathan Moya."

The Scarren-Sebeccean half-breed let out a sigh as he waited for the med tech to finish changing the curse cooling rod that controlled his internal temperature. Due to the mismatch of his genetic heritage, his body had no way to regulate the core body heat. He hated the frailty's of his mismatched body, nearly as much as he hated Crighton and the crew of that damned leviathan.

"What have you heard, lieutenant?" Scorpius asked in his sibilant, guttural voice.

"The leviathan known as Moya has been spotted in the territories of the Roamean Alliance. They have been there nearly a weeken, and John Crighton has been spotted several times entering official government buildings. Also of note, sir, is that there is a command carrier, the 'Freedom Reigns', formerly titled 'Swift Vengeance' which is currently under the command of Captain Noreg Holt. It is believed by High Command sir, that Captain Holt is one of the leaders of the Renegade faction that recently cost the lives of so many loyal soldiers as they attempted to take control of a sizable portion of the fleet."

Scorpius glared at the wall as the tech finished and the rod rotated back into his skull. He allowed his mind to process the information he'd just received, and began calculating various strategies to deal with the advancing situation.

"Anything else, soldier?" the sole surviving half breed of his type asked.

"Er, yes sir. Not long after the attempted revolt of the so called Renegades, our agents report that Crighton and Aeryn Sun took the Farscape module and paid a visit to the Freedom Reigns. It appears that Crighton and Holt spent several hours closeted together with a handful of Holt's most loyal techs, and when Crighton left, he was carrying a case with some type of device he and Holt apparently designed. The agents weren't able to find out what the device does, but there might be a possibility of new kind of weapon. They were overheard discussing how to fuse the tech to the biological systems of a ship the size of a leviathan."

Scorpius lost control of his anger and lashed out at the hapless lackey, sending the solid form flying across the room to crash through a window pane into the corridor. He stormed around the med bay for several moments, overturning equipment and lashing out at any who dared approach.

He eventually calmed and straightened himself into the rigid posture he forced himself to adopt. "Someone clean this mess. And get me High Command. They must be alerted that Crighton has allied with the Renegades and has shared wormhole technology with them. That is the only possible discussion Holt and Crighton could have shared. Crighton is useless, a primitive. His only advantage is his control of wormholes. He must have agreed to aid the Renegades by sharing wormhole tech in exchange for their protection against High Command."

He moved from the med bay, heading for his quarters, trusting his underlings to send the message to High Command while he attempted to meditate and regain his self-control. Eve since the bastard human had entered this corner of the universe, his life had been a constant struggle to retain a control he'd worked cycles perfecting.

And now the hated human was giving his knowledge of wormhole tech to people who wanted to destroy the Sebeccean way of life. He couldn't let that happen. He couldn't let Crighton do any further damage to the Peacekeeper forces. If not for that damn treaty, the Scarrens would already have done a mass invasion, and Scorpius knew that they would not hold back for long, no matter the threat John Crighton represented.

The Peacekeepers needed that tech, and they needed to remain whole. Or they were doomed to extinction. And it was up to him, a half breed bastard hated by both sides of his heritage, to save the organization that meant everything to him. Again.

987987987987

So finally some action, no ST in this, but some Scorpy might help. The meeting is next chap. And more action on the planet.


	27. Chapter 25

Again, I own nothing except Angrogein's and Roamea races and the idea to put these shows together in the way that they are.

Sorry for the long delays in updates, but recently was 'let go' from my position at the hotel, and have been looking for new job. Not as actively as I probably should, but dropping some resume's off and looking at job bank.

Here's ch 25.

if there's a part like (1) or (a) or something, it's because I want to add a comment about a line that didn't fit with the character speaking or it explains in other words what they meant.

here's a little Farscape swearing lesson:

Frell-----Fuck

Dren----Shit

hezmana---either hell or damn, depending on context (go to hezmana, Hezmana-God damn)

farbot----nuts/crazy/insane

eema----ass

tralk---skank/slut/whore

789987789987789987789

On Ryra

John and Aeryn were slowly, and cautiously makingt heir way towards the landing port and the waiting module. John had already remote activated the warm up systems, a little gadget he'd been tinkering with to make escape easier since they so often found themselves in these kidns of messes. So far, they'd run into 1 patrol of three mercenaries, that they'd been able to avoid, while also avoiding the roaming official guards as vehicles came adn dropped off troops from the defense forces. They could hear the sounds of weapons fire in several directions, but cycles of practice and expreience allowed them to reign in the impulse to go aid the defense forces.

They paused and took stations on opposite sides of an alley, covered by the facades of facing buildings. They exchanged several gestures and silent glances in a common, but oddly totally silent, arguement about who would race through the alley first. John sighed and holstered Wynona, knowing that the nearly empty pistol was nearly empty, and even full, was practically useless against shielded attackers. He asked by gesture about the rifle, and Aeryn frowned while studying the alien weapon. She looked over and shrugged, then flashed five fingers of one hand twice with a slight shake to show she was only guessing at the amount left.

John sighed and looked about the mouth of the alley, trying to find something that they could use as either cover or a weapon. He spotted a low wall near the building hiding Aeryn and an idea came to his head. He caught his lover's eyes, glanced at the wall, then up to the roof of the short structure. She faked not understanding for a few moments until he threw her a nasty glare. She simply raised an eyebrow at him, then quickly stuck out her tongue in a gesture she'd learned from watching TV on earth. John's mock glare faded, and he grinned cockily at her. She sighed and tossed him the rifle, before climbing up onto the wall and hauling herself onto the roof.

John risked another glance down the alley, only to duck as a stray round from a rifle flared towards him. He took another glance, and had to recoil again, this time swearing as he realised that there was merc heading right up the alley towards him. He edged the muzzle of the stolen weapon around the corner and fired three rounds blindly. He saw a flash of black just above him and noted that Aeryn had leapt from her building to his own. Her head was over the edge and she was looking down at him. He saw a glimmer in her eyes, and sighed, before nodding. She blew him a kiss, and then disappeared over the edge. He waited a few seconds, then fired down the alley again, keeping the merc's attention on him, and not any sound he might hear from the rooftops as Aeryn crept up on him from above.

John's weapon clicked empty and he swore. The merc heard the tell tale sound and started laughing as he calmly reloaded and started forward. John glanced into the alley and felt his heart freeze as he saw one of the most beautiful thigns he'd ever seen. Aeryn had not only gotten behind the merc, but allowed him to come closer to John so she'd have more room to add momentum. John watched as she ran across the roof and leapt off the 12 foot height and towards the merc who was about fifteen feet down. She soared through the air, framed amazingly by the setting of a red sun. As she flew she somehow drew the merc's attention, as the man spun on his feet to face the noise, but only looked up at the last possible second, far too late to bring up the rifle he'd reloaded.

Aeryn had leapt with one shoulder forward and her other trailing back. As she approached her target, she swung the trailing arm forward, timing it perfectly to catch her opponent dead across his throat with all of her weight and strength, increased by the momentum of her jump. John, almost thrity feet away could hear the crack as the man's neck was broken and his body spun and flipped backwards thanks to the momentum. Aeryn landed on her feet, but allowed her momentum to carry him into a forward role. She sprung up and just as the large body slammed into the ground, she had reached it and jammed the blade of her service knife up through the throat into the man's brainpan.

"Well paint me purple and call me Barney. Where the hell you pick up that move, Sunshine?" John asked, impressed with his lover.

Aeryn gave him a guilty look as she wiped her blade on the dead man's shirt and started stripping him of usefull items, tossing a few spare ammo vials to John, as well as the shield. He was more used to them, and she didn't want to take the chance of being thrown out of balance with unfamiliar equipment. "When we were on Earth, Bobby showed me a sport called wrestling on the TV. I was quite intrigued by the various fighting styles, and it impressed me even more when Bobby told me that the men were trying NOT to hurt each other when doing moves that could potentially maim or kill their opponents. As I demonstrated just know, a flying clothesline can be a great deal more lethal then you might assume when watching the program. The combattants showed excellent body control and knowledge to be able to perform some of the feats without injuring each other or themselves."

John chuckled as he loaded his spent rifle, and activated the shield. Trust Aeryn Sun to find that professional wrestling was scripted to be a bonus instead of detraction. "On Earth, there's three kinds of attitude to wrestling: 1-It's all fake and nothing about it is real. 2-It's stylized and scripted, but still a valid form of physical activity. and 3-It's all real, and everything that happens on the shows is real. Any one who's even heard of it has one of those three opinions. I never bought that it was 'real', but I do have to agree that it's amazing what they are able to do with their bodies on a daily basis with more injuries then what do happen."

Aeryn shared a grin, and then stood, taking the second captured rifle as they set aside their jovial mood and resumed their trek towards their means of escape.

8979879797979879797979798

Freedom Reigns

"I understand your position, Coreager, but I assure you that despite what you might have heard, I have no wish to interfere in your internal politics. All I wish to do is send down a regiment to extract John Crighton and Aeryn Sun from the surface. I have no doubt that your troops are excellently trained and skilled in their way, but this mission requires talents and skills that my troops have been trained in since leaving their creches. And can you honestly say that you can trust every member of your forces to be loyal? It's already been proved taht someone in some position of authority over your armed forces has been subverting your authority and convincing some of your troops to leave your service for a more . . . financially beneficial employer." Holt stated as he looked at the Roamean military leader through the large view screen. "I give you my personal promise that my troops will do their best to harm no civilians, and that once Crighton and Sun are secure, they will depart the surface and return to my vessel. If any of the crew remain on the surface after that time, of the transport vessels make any agressive moves against your people, then I will personally give the order to shoot the vessel out of the sky."

The lio-maned head lowered and a weary hand rubbed at the muzzled face. "Fine. Send your troops. But no more then 3 of your Maurauder sized vessels. I will send the authorizaiton to the naval forces to let them through. Any other vessel caught leaving your ship's orbit, or either entering or leaving atmosphere will be destroyed."

Holt nodded, then something occured to him. "Coreager, there is a chance that Crighton's crewmates will attempt a rescue of their own. It is my understanding that they have a vessel capable of visual stealth. I don't know if your sensors will detect it, but reports indicate that it is a small, but very powerful vessel. I would recommend that if you do track any unsual atmospheric activity, that you refrain from interfering until you get visual comfirmation on the cause."

"Our sensors are usually able to detect most variety of visual shielding, but there are always exceptions. I have passed the message to the fleet." The fierce visage took on a grim expression. "How many can you fit per Maurauder? I understand that standard crew is 5?"

"Yes, and in a pinch, it can hold double that for a short time, but I shall send 7 crew per vessel. Three ships, 7 crew, 21 peacekeepers. I shall instruct them to obey any orders given through you with the access code I have sent to you. They will not attack any of your units, but will use non lethal force to defend themselves against uniformed attackers, and lethal force against insurgents. Once they have reach Crighton, they shall aid him in reaching his vessel and departing the planet safely, then follow his vessel to their leviathan as guard ships. Any vessel approaching Moya or the Maurauders will be fired upon, unless they send direct transmission carrying the code I sent you."

"Agreed. I have sent the instructions to the fleet, as well as passed the code to soldiers I am certain I can trust. If that is all, I have to get to my transport. There is much to do if we are to insure the safetly of Crighton and the future of my people." Lyar signed off the system and a blank screen filled Holt's view.

"Reis, take the best of the crew. Those who's judgement you trust as well as their aim. I want no mistakes on this. Crighton's potential co-operation with us might lie in the balance. If we prove to him that we can work as the Originators intended in saving lives and protecting peace, then he might consider lending us his aid against High Command. At the very least, it will show us in a better light then any Peacekeeper forces he's ecountered before."

"At once, Admiral." Reis gestured to some of the guards standing on the bridge to follow as he turned to leave.

"Reis, take some of the anti-shield weapons. You might have limitted firing time with them, but I suspect they will come of some use agaisnt the insurgents."

Not waisting any more time, the giant nodded and strode from the room, followed by the three guards he'd chosen moments before. He grabbed a passing tech and isued orders for 6 of the new needlers to be waiting on his Maurauder, knowing that by the time he reached the launch bay, they would already be there.

9879797987987987987

On Guarm

The crew were remaining in their quarters, remaining as prone as possible, while occassionaly dealing quietly with the tedious matters of biological necessity. Guarm had found a way to enhance his speed even more, and they were now less then two hours from their destination. Guarm had tried to remain in contact with the young sounding female leviathan, but the stresses placed on him from extended Starburst and the maneouver he'd used to leap frog a vast region of space had forced him to turn off all but the most basic functions.

It was the last report that had encouraged Guarm to find a way to reach her more quickly. It seems that some of her crew were in danger on thesurface of a planet in the system she was orbiting and she was frantic for their safe return. He wanted to get there so that his crew could go in their craft and aid in rescueing the beings for whom she cared so much. He knew the pain of loosing your crew, and didn't wish that loss on ANY leviathan, and especially not on one who sounded so young and yet worn.

'Hold on young one, I am coming. I will help you save your crew, and in turn, you can help me protect mine in this changed galaxy.'

987987978

Okay, so no meet yet, but I have shortened the time and have the meeting plotted out.

Plus, first piece from Guarm's POV.


	28. Chapter 26

Again, I own nothing except Angrogein's and Roamea races and the idea to put these shows together in the way that they are.

Sorry again for long delays on my stories, but recently lost my job of 4+years has taken some of my creative edge away. Hopefully it's coming back. If there are any artistically inclined people reading, please email me, as I would like to commission a few works to go with both this and other stories I am writing. As soon as the work situation resolves it self (I was fired in the morning after my shift, and could have started a new job that after noon, but waited a week to decompress, then worked for 2 weeks and got sick. Couldn't work for 2 weeks as my throat was inflamed and I could barely talk, then finally that gets back to normal, and I go to family to celebrate, and catch flu from niece. Another week shot. Haven't had the time or energy to do anything. Going to bed at like 11pm and staying in bed until 5 or 6 pm. Not asleep whole time, jut too tired to do anything.)

Here's ch 26.

if there's a part like (1) or (a) or something, it's because I want to add a comment about a line that didn't fit with the character speaking or it explains in other words what they meant.

here's a little Farscape swearing lesson:

Frell-----Fuck

Dren----Shit

hezmana---either hell or damn, depending on context (go to hezmana, Hezmana-God damn)

farbot----nuts/crazy/insane

eema----ass

tralk---skank/slut/whore

789987789987789987789

PK Marauder

Reis frowned as the three sleek vessels broke the atmosphere of the Roamean home world. He didn't mind having to go and rescue Crighton, as he'd suspected that sooner or later he would have to do so once the human and Holt had spoken and not come to blows after 5 microts. He just hadn't expected it to be this early in their tentative relationship, nor on this particular world. The Roamean's would resent their forces openly attacking their people, even though it was well known that the aggressive force was a rebel faction who cared nothing for the lives of the bystanders they had killed in their attempt to ambush Crighton and his chosen spouse.

Reis' frown became a snort as he recalled reading incident reports based off of previous PK interactions with the human and his fellow crew of Moya. He'd always wondered why everyone had been so intent on capturing the human, when they'd had multiple chances to destroy the leviathan and all the crew. Sure, the power of a wormhole weapon was quite intriguing, but the cost in personel and equipment that had been spent chasing the escaped transport was beyond foolish. First Crais, then Scorpius, and even Grayza. Three of the most even headed and well known soldiers in the PK forces, each with an obsession towards the human and the escaped prisoners.

'Crighton may come from a back world planet and be a technological primitive, but he is anything but primitive when it comes to adapting to his surrenders and making his weaknesses into strengths. His very lack of advancement makes it easier for him to adjust and adept the tech of the various races into his own, and also allows him to view each race and see the value and strengths each bring that the prejudices of the various governments have refused to admit exist in their enemies.'

The ships landed in standard triangular formation, bay doors pointing inward, and front mounted weapons pointing away. The commandos cautiously made their way out of the ships and took up positions three abreast, two rows deep with the individual team commanders meeting in the center of the formation.(1)

"Setara, take your men and proceed directly towards the last known location of Crighton and his mate. Don't fire on any innocents or any wearing the official Roamean forces uniforms. If someone attacks, attempt to bring them in alive, but don't hesitate to retire them if they resist too heavily. Maintain silence but keep comms in contact." Reis ordered and watched as the captain took his 5 men and headed in the direction of the government complex Crighton had last been officially sighted. He turned to the other captain. "Parin, set up a perimeter around the mauraders. I don't want any one other then us, Crighton, or the Coreager's men within thousand denches of the ships."

Parin nodded and he and his crew began breaking out the stationary heavy equipment, including a portable defense shield and tripod mounted pulse canons too heavy for even a Scarren to use. One soldier went back into each maurader to man the weapons and comm stations, while another maned each of the three large canons. Three more climbed up onto nearby roofs and moved roughly a block down to give advanced warning an any approaching target.

Reis looked at the remaining men an grinned. They were the best of the best on board, and he would put his life into any single one's hand. There were three heavy weapons specialists, each carrying personal pulse canons that could blast a whole through a Carriers hull, and two carrying both rapid fire pulse guns, and sniper mode rifles. All carried the standard equipment of pulse pistols, combat knifes, stimpacks, etc... .He himself was armed with two of the modified needlers instead of pulse pistols, and also carried a pair of SMPG's(2), a SBPC(3), and a standard rifle.

"The rest of us are going to where we know Crighton wishes to be. We're going to head over to the Farscape module and guard it for Crighton's return." The commandos nodded and followed as he left the triangle of men and mauraders.

7897987987987987987

On Ryra

John and Aeryn ducked behind a building as yet another patrol of rebel forces passed by. Neither had thought to bring area scanners or other useful equipment, so they had no idea of their exact location, or of how many more men the rebels had placed in the field. Both doubted that whoever was behind this attack had fielded his full forces, though they seemed to have committed significant resources to finding them.

John glanced at his lover. "How much further do you think, Aeryn?"

Aeryn frowned, glanced at the sky and the orbiting sun, and then back the way they'd come. Even taking into account their less then direct route, it shouldn't be much further. "Not long. Maybe another 10-15 microts before we reach the landing port. Then another 10 to reach the module."

John sighed. He knew from previous experience that while that wasn't a great deal of time, and even less if they took the direct route, it was still going to be difficult to get to the ship without being detected by the rebels or by the Roamean forces. They were avoiding both groups at the moment, as they would prefer not to deal with the equivalent of a sergeant or lieutenant who wasn't fully aware of what was happening.

"What's taking D so long?" he asked, more to himself then anything else.

"Perhaps the rebel Roamean's are attacking Moya and he was needed to defend her?" Aeryn stated as she took another peek to see that the way was finally clear. She motioned to John, and then crept forward, the stolen rifle held at the ready, knowing that John was following, while also keeping watch from the direction they came.

They moved swiftly and silently, cycles of working together honing their innate sense of each other's actions to such a fine degree that they didn't need to speak and rarely needed more then the minutest gestures to convey whole spectrum's of information. It gave Aeryn a sense of calm, and familiarity, as this was what the peacekeepers had tried to instill in all their troops. It was a skill that few could really master. The sense of a team being greater then the individuals who comprised the team. Few peacekeepers in her experience could sublimate their own egos and ambitions long enough and with the ease and comfort that she and John shared when they needed to work together in this manner.

Even Dargo and Chiana could slip in behind them and there would be little to no disruption to the 'wholeness' of the team. Jool was unlikely to ever fit in that well, and Stark was too insane to bother with. Rygel could at times nearly reach the needed state of mind, and despite his sometimes seeming abandonment of his crew mates, he usually came through in some unusual or ingenious ways to salvage the situation. As much of a pain as he normally was, the Hynerian had proved both useful and resourceful, saving them all on several occasions.

789798798797987987

Not far from JC/AS

The tall figure slowed as he neared a gap between two of the short buildings. He slid against the wall and then stopped just before the gap. He took a peek before pulling back in case of hidden weapons fire. He waited and took a second, longer peek. He could see no sign of hostiles, but there was a figure laying in a heap on the ground. He cautiously approached the figure, weapon forward, prepared to fire at the first sign of movement.

His caution was needless as the scent of death hit his nose. A growl escaped his throat as he approached the corpse. He toed it over with his boot and gave a short, barking roar. It was Sihea, one of his Inner Circle, and one of the best fighters in his private forces. They had gone through training together, and Sihea had been the only person to defeat him on more then one occasion that he hadn't killed. Something about the quiet warrior had drawn his attention from the moment they first met, and Sihea had been one of the first to side with him when he'd chosen his path.

His training kicked in and he studied the surrounding, trying to figure out how Sihea had been killed. It was obvious that he had a broken neck and crushed throat, but he saw no signs of a struggle. There were pulse blasts evident, but none on Sihea's body. He tracked the prints.

'Sihea had ambushed his targets here. he was at one end of the alley, Crighton and his female at the other. They exchanged shots. Crighton's rifle must have run low. Here, he stands and moves into the alley, as does Sihea. But were is the female. She was a peacekeeper, surely she would not have cowered behind cover while the inferior human showed his courage. No, something else happened.' He moved down the alley to the opening where he'd originally entered.

'Crighton took cover on one side, his female the other.' he reasserted to himself, studying the foot patterns on the dusty ground. Then he noted small chips of tile on the ground near the female's cover point. 'Ah, she climbed onto the roof.' He easily leapt up to the rooftop, and followed the tracks of crushed tiles to a point some distance behind where Sihea had covered himself.

'Here she waits for Crighton to come into the alley. Seeing him, and then Sihea move into the alley she starts running.' He moved quickly, his pace set to match the gaps of the female's running pattern. He reached the edge of a rooftop and looks down. Sihea's body is about 12 metras away. 'She jumps here towards Sihea, who either hears her or has Crighton point her out. Sihea turns into a blow, which with the momentum of the jump and her weight, is strong enough to twist his neck, crush his throat, and spin him over onto his back. She lands in a roll, and as a precaution, stabs her blade up through the ruined throat and into Sihea's brainpan.Then they come and scavenge Sihea's weaponry. Interesting. Not typical Peacekeeper tactics. I wonder where she would learn such a thing. Perhaps the human is more of a threat then anyone has previously assumed. No matter. They killed Sihea. For that alone I would torture them for a weeken. But with what I am being paid, they shall suffer for at least a monen.'

A crackle in his comm brought his attention back to current situation and he pressed to acknowledge the call. "Lord, three Peacekeeper Mauraders have just landed, and tracking has detected a cloaked vessel entering the atmosphere. Comm traffic shows that Coreager Lyar's personal security have now joined the defense forces searching for us. Shall we continue to search for Crighton or return to base?"

"Have all troops and support head towards the landing port used by Crighton. Avoid the Peacekeepers if possible, but kill any resistance. Have second and third groups accomplished their tasks?"

"Yes sir, second has returned, and they were able to download all the current military codes, as well as plant the virus and worm programs. Third has reported minimal resistance, and is just finishing at the third target. Retta Siisha claims to have . . . appropriated enough seed forms to feed the forces for at least three additional cycles, as well as enough rylls to pay for refits on most of the larger craft and still have enough to pay the crew for the next cycle."

"Excellent work, Prinat. Once Siisha returns to the ship, have all crew evacuated, whether the target is eliminated or not. It seems Crighton has powerful protectors, and while I am not abandoning our assignment, I believe we should formulate a plan with a stronger chance of success."

"What of yourself, sir?" asked Prinat.

"I shall remain on planet for several solar days until the patrols let up, then return to base via my private shuttle. Hunt well, Prinat."

"As you order, sir." the connection cut off and the golden furred Roamean stood to his full height. His ear twitch and he spun, drawing and firing a pistol.

He snorted as he watched the pulse fire obliterate a middle aged female's head and her small body collapse to the ground. He moved to replace the weapon and turn away, but a second, smaller figure moved into the door frame.

The figure looked up at him with tears in his eyes. The eyes widened in fearful recognition as the face of the most infamous killer in Roamean history starred him down over the barrel of a large pistol.

The man once known as Yamir Ta relaxed and sheathed his weapon, staring deeply into the eyes of the frightened child. "Don't worry boy, I'm not the monster that the news makes me out. Your mother was simply an accident. Now, why don't you turn around and go back inside."

The boy nodded and turned slowly, taking several steps further into the room. He never felt the blast that shattered his spine at the base of his skull, nearly separating his head from his body.

Yamir Ta replaced the weapon again, and leapt back to the roof top. He would make use of the same path his enemies had used and would hopefully beat them to the landing port. From this location, he was less then 5 microts from where Crighton had landed. His troops should be in position by now, and if they weren't, there'd be ample time to punish them later.(4) He paused and jumped back down to Sihea's body. He turned his ally over and using his claws, dug out a cylindrical chip from inside the skull. "Sihea might have died this time. But thanks to this memory download, I can clone another and have him back. I'm sure he'll be interested in punishing Crighton's mate."

87897987987

1 M M-mauraders.,pcommando, c-squad leader, C-Reis

pp C pp

pp c c pp

pp ppp pp

M p p p M

so it looks something like that. The outer ring of commandos are kneeling and the second ring aiming over their shoulders.

2 think Uzi or similar style, the one that looks like an AK with the stock and with shorter barrel with the banana clip(Short Multi-fire Pulse Gun)

3 basically a shotgun (Spread Blasting Pulse Canon)

4 okay, the Roamean's are going to have a weapon that they call a fire cannon. it's a long barreled rifle. the ammo is ovoid(egg shaped) shells of ceramic that contain a liquid that is highly acidic and flammable. The other coating of the ceramic is painting with a flammable oil. As the rifle is fired along the barrel and reached the exit, a small flame lights the oil coating. The sphere then burns as it travels. on impact the shell shatters, splashing the inner liquid over the target, the flaming oil ignites the liquid which 'explodes' and burns the target. think a paint ball filled with gas, dipped in oil and lit on fire as it leaves the barrel. On the rifle, you can turn off the flame, so that the shell is not light when fired. This just slows the death, as the oil is highly toxic, and the interior liquid is acidic, the ovoid shape allows the shell to easily penetrate flesh(like normal bullet shape, but a little wider) as it shatters, throwing the acid and toxin onto the skin and into the flesh of the target, who is melted from the inside out. Or you can make the rifle into a full blown flame thrower. Flame is from portable chakan oil stored in the stalk of the rifle and the shells come from a clip similar to the old 'round' clip Tommy Gun. each clip holds(depending on barrel size, as it come in 4 ranges, similar to .22(225 shells), 9MM(200), .45(125), and .306(150)) and can be single, three shot, or full auto.


	29. Chapter 27

Here's ch 27.

if there's a part like (1) or (a) or something, it's because I want to add a comment about a line that didn't fit with the character speaking or it explains in other words what they meant.

_brackets italics_ are thought.

here's a little Farscape swearing lesson:

Frell-----Fuck

Dren----Shit

hezmana---either hell or damn, depending on context (go to hezmana, Hezmana-God damn)

farbot----nuts/crazy/insane

eema----ass

tralk---skank/slut/whore

789987789987789987789

On Guarm

Data was reviewing the orders given to him by StarFleet. They had received a time set batch as they approached the wormhole, and it had finally opened, revealing several interesting pieces of news. The first was that several governments were sending what ships they could spare to wait at the wormhole while Delta class shuttles and a pair of Defiant ships traveled through to wait on this side. They were there in case Data required their assistance.

The second bit was that he, Data, as a commander could not be in a position of authority over Worf, a captain. So in order to correct the situation, Starfleet was issuing a new rank class. And he was being promoted two grades to this new rank. As most of the ranking system of Starfleet was based off a combination of the old Earth based system for Navy and Airforce personnel, the ranks had reflected that in most cases. The current order went Cadet, Ensign, Lt, Lt. Commander, Commander, Captain, Commodore, Admiral. StarFleet, under the authorization of the Federation of Planets was issuing several new ranks, of which he would be the first of the highest of the three. The new ranking system went Cadet, Private, Ensign, Sergeant, Lt, Lt. Commander, Commander, Captain, Lt. Major, Major, Colonel, Commodore, Admiral. Several of the ranks- Private, Sergeant, Lt. Major and Major- would be assigned only to those in the security/military services of Starfleet and all commanding officers were automatically considered both exploratory and military officers.

He was still reviewing the new criteria for advancement when Tam's voice entered his concious mind.

"Excuse me everyone, but Guarm tells me that he's moving faster then expected and that we are just minutes away from exiting Starburst. Everyone should get in their bunks and straps themselves in, because this is going to be a rough exit."

Data took a look over his shoulder to make sure that everything in the small chamber was secure, then tapped his badge. "Attention crew. As we approached the system containing the wormhole, which Starfleet has now named Beta-5, we received one last transmission containing our final orders and some other information relating to our mission. There is a joint, multi-racial task force including all of StarFleet's major allies currently travelling to be stationed on the far side of the wormhole with a wing of ships, including 5 Delta class shuttles and 2 Defiant class warships on the near side.

Should we require their aid, the captains of these ships have been ordered to travel the wormhole and find us. The fleet numbers nearly thirty ships, most of which are StarFleet or Klingon in origin, though there are some Romulan and even some Cardassian ships waiting. Overall command of the fleet is currently in the hands of Captain Elizabeth Swanson on the _USS Night Angel, _one of the two Defiant class ships who have will transverse the wormhole to station themselves on this side. Should we require the fleet, StarFleet has decided that command will shift to myself." he paused to let the others think about their allies who would be waiting for their call should they need them.

"As such, StarFleet has decided that as a Commander, I can not be in position to order Captains of the fleet. So in order to solve this problem they are going to issuing several new ranks into Starfleet's current ranking system. I have been promoted to one of these ranks, and now hold the Rank of Colonel. This will allow me the authority to command the fleet without the problems associated with over promotion to Commodore or Admiral, or those involved with not having the seniority as a Captain to order captains who have held their rank for extended period. StarFleet has issued several new rules to be instituted, and I urge you all to study those rules when there is time."

He again paused to wait for the others to process his statement. "As the commanding officer of this mission, and in the place of a senior officer, it is my honor to announce that StarFleet is also promoting Captain Worf Rhozenko, son of Morg to the newly created rank of Major. As Major, Worf's new responsibilities include tactical planning and surveillance. In short, Worf will continue to create the battle plans for our mission, and I will attempt to provide him with the success for those plans."

During his pause, Lt. Reed chose to add his own statement. "So in other words, aside from what we call you, nothing's changed."

Data felt a hint of a chuckle escape at the Lt's statement. "I suppose that is true, Lt. Now, let's relax and get ready to exit Starburst."

Data's timing was perfect as always as barely seconds after he finished speaking, Guarm exited Starburst and returned to normal space. Only now, they were in the star system that housed the leviathan they'd come to find.

As Data sat up from his bunk, Tam's voice came over the comms. "Uh, Colonel Data? I suggest you and Major Worf get up here. There's something you should see."

Data didn't pause, standing and moving for the exit to his quarters, absently grabbing the away kit stored on the hanging rack by the door. It contained a modified tricorder, a type I and type II phaser, a comm badge and emergency two days of emergency rations.

"All crew, report to bridge. Possible hostile contact." Tam's voice came back over the comms, sounding tense and fearful.

Data reached Worf, who was also clipping his equipment in place, though he also carried a large Klingon knife strapped to his left thigh, and his batleth hung in place on his back.

Worf grinned and slapped his friend on the back. "It looks like today might be a good day to die."

Data smiled and returned the gesture of friendship. He'd now known the Klingon warrior for nearly 17 years. He was one of Data's closest friends. They had had a lot in common, being the only ones of their kind in all of StarFleet and not quite managing to fit in with their fellow officers.

"Let us hope it is a good day to live, my friend." Data said in Klingon. "I'm in no hurry to experience death so soon into our mission."

Worf laughed heartily and squeezed the androids shoulder in a rare display of good humor. While it was a friendly gesture on Worf's part, Data was able to sense that it would have broken the bones of most of the established races. Luckily, his father had constructed him of more durable materials. _Or as humans like to say, he wanted to be sure I was made of sterner stuff then most people_. the android thought to himself as they reached the bridge and took their places.

987987987987979797987987987987

Ryra

John and Aeryn watched as several dozen of the enemy troops clattered onto vessels which then took off. They waited until the last was in the air before going towards the module, which had been surrounded by the enemy craft. As soon as the last vessel, looking somewhat damaged, took off they heard the sound of approaching aircraft and watched as a squad of some craft began chasing the now fleeing shapes.

So intent where they on watching the pursuit that neither noticed the presence of the potential danger until they'd already reacted.

"Hold fire!" shouted a voice from the prone Sebeccean man they were now targeting. "I am Lt. Setara from the Freedom Reigns. Lt. Reis asked myself and my men to find you and report that there is a squad of 3 Marauders on planet to escort you to safety."

"How many commandos in your team?" Aeryn asked, looking around. She noticed several forms, all armed and aiming at them now. Oddly enough, this helped calm her reaction to being startled by the Lt.. If she could see them, and they weren't hiding their actions, then it usually meant that they weren't there for a battle, but as reinforcements.

"There are 21 officers in the squad. Lt. Reis is in overall command. He and his men went to locate Coreager Lyar and seek any enemy who didn't evac by air. He ordered me and my men to find you and let you know that we are here as an escort and protection squad. The heavy gunners and pilots remained at the Marauders to secure our escape path should the module have been lost and we had to evac you in our ships." Setara stated calmly, looking them each in the eyes and not showing the slightest hint of worry at being flat on his back with two weapons pointed at his face.

John holstered Wynona and placed the stolen rifle on the ground. "Sorry about that Lt. Usually when some one sneaks up on us it's because they want us dead." He reached out a hand which the Sebaccean took. He hauled the fallen soldier to his feet, earning a flash of surprise on the other man's face. Once he was sure that Setara was on his feet, he grabbed the rifle again and glanced back over towards the module. "What do you think, Lt.? Is it safe yet to fetch the old girl?"

While not understanding the gender reference to the oddly shaped craft, the Lt. surveyed the nearly abandoned landing port. "It looks clear enough. I had a few men go around to come from the other side, but they are under radio silence until they are within 3 metras of the module."

John glanced at Aeryn and grinned. "What about you, Sundance? Think the Cavalrys gone?"

Aeryn smiled fondly at her chosen husband. "If I were them I likely would have booby trapped the shuttle and the grounds up to the shuttle before I left. Since I see no signs of such precaution, I have to think that they were either incompetent, lazy or option 3." She paused and glanced at Setara, her eyes dancing at being in her element. "And since they were too professional in the rest of their attack, that leaves out incompetence or lazyness, so that leaves option 3."

"Option 3?" Setara asked, taking his cue unconsciously.

John grinned, then stood and threw the rifle he held towards the module. It had barely gone a dozen feet before it was struck by several blasts. The crates behind which they were hiding were also struck, though John stood and watched the incoming fire before ducking back down.

Setara gapped at he man. He couldn't believe that he had just calmly watched the incoming fire without even seeking to cover himself behind the crates. _Either this man is the bravest I've ever met, or he's totally farbot._ he studied the pair before him, noting the exasperated expression on the attractive face of the former Peacekeeper. _From her reaction, I guess he does this a lot. I guess this means the reports aren't as exaggerated as I thought._ He winced as he shifted and the straps on his weapons pressed against the bruises that were forming as a result of the takedown Crighton had performed. _He's faster and stronger then I was led to believe as well. I didn't even see him move. One microt, I'm approaching him from behind, all weapons holstered intending to grasp his shoulder, the next he somehow throws me over his shoulder while letting a rifle fall to hang on it's strap and draws a pulse pistol. Sun just leisurely swings her rifle from the landing pad to my head as though she knew exactly where and how I'd land_. 

He tuned back in as John spoke. "Did you catch that, Sundance?"

"I saw three on the left and four on the right from our current position, though they are spaced some distance from each other to cover all angles of approach. You?"

John nodded. "Caught those, but I think there's more. Far side of the module, where they couldn't have seen me toss the rifle."

Setara blinked as confusion set in. "Ah, do you mean that they saw you throw the rifle and could see what it was? Why would they shoot it then? Why not just shoot you, Crighton?"

John chuckled. "Because the last time they saw us throw a weapon, Aeryn's pulse pistol overloaded and killed half the crew that attacked us as we left our meeting with Lyar. They wouldn't want to let that happen again, so they had to take out the rifle to keep it from overloading."

Setara nodded, understanding the ruse. "Still, why throw a good weapon away? We might be outgunned and out manned and could have used the rifle."

"A couple of reasons, Set. Mind if I call you Set? Good. Anyway, the rifle wasn't all that familiar to me and as best I could tell, it was nearly empty. Also, we needed a way to find their position, and the easiest way was to give them a target they had to shoot at while not being shot ourselves. Now we know where there are and roughly how many are here. From the way they spread out, I'm guessing that there's three more who were blocked by the module and couldn't get a shot off. They aren't going to move because they don't think we were able to pinpoint their location from just the one or two shots each fired." John explained while looking around.

"So got a plan yet, Butch?" Aeryn asked as she checked the levels on her rifle.

"Working on it." a wicked grin crossed his face. One that Aeryn recognized from her long association with the human. It was his 'I'm about to make some obscure reference to Earth's culture that none of you will understand but in some weird way will fit our situation and has led me to a plan' face. She hated that face. " 'Now if only we had a holocaust cloak, then we'd have a chance.'(a) "

Before Setara could ask what he was talking about, the comms crackled to life. "John, Aeryn I am microts from the landing pad. Are you under fire?"

John's grin widened and he let out a loud whoop. "Ask and ye shall receive. Hey D, just in time. It's insanely silly plan time and you're invited."

"Frell John, why is it that all your plans are insanely silly? Just once couldn't you have an insanely brilliant plan? Is that too much for a Luxan to ask?" Dargo stated dramatically over the comms.

John turned to look at Setara. "Well it's not a holocaust cloak, but a cloaked ship capable of a holocaust will have to do. Listen up: ..."

The plan was simple. Dargo would fly Lo'la and land in front of the module, placing the bulk of the invisible ship between the attackers and themselves. Then John, who was still wearing the shielding device, would walk out towards the module like nothing was wrong in order to draw fire. Aeryn and Setara would then pop up and start firing on the enemies to the left while the other commandos, including the pair Setara had sent around would get those who were blocked by the module. Once they had been taken care of, Dargo would lift off, exposing the remaining attackers, who would now be faced with a reversal of situations and be outmaned and outgunned. Dargo would decloak after take up and rotate to aim Lo'la's huge cannon at the center of the position. If they did not open fire, Aeryn and Setara would instead leap up an throw pancake explosives towards the enemy positions, forcing them to fight, move, or die.

Surprisingly enough, the plan worked as it had been designed. Setara's men were able to take out the 4 hidden soldiers without injury. Dargo's ship wasn't even scuffed by the rounds from the weapons. Aeryn and Setara's aim was dead on and they easily ended the threat from the left. The only hiccup was when Dargo took off. One of the soldiers got a lucky shot off that hit John's shoulder. Lucky the shield device held out and he was unharmed. He even managed to take out two of the hidden snipers himself as he fell from the impact of the shot hitting the shield.

Once the action was over, Setara order his men to strip the dead of any usefully equipment and surrendered most of the shields to John, who wanted to see if he could improve on their already amazing design. They spoke to Reis over the comms, learning that he was heading back to the Marauders to aid in a patrol of the city at the orders of the Coreager. Setara and his crew headed back to meet their comrades, while John and Aeryn strapped into the module. With Dargo there in Lo'la, there was little need of a PK escort, though Reis did hope to finish his patrol soon and meet them in orbit.

As they exited the range of the planet's gravity, a call came over the comms. "John, this is Chiana. Are you there? Better pick up, old man. This is important."

John sighed and wondered if Rygel had been bothering the Nebari girl again or if it was Stark muttering his weird ass comments that was bugging her. The only good thing was he knew it couldn't be Jooly since she was still knocked out on Dargo's ship. "What is it this time, Pip?" he asked, weariness from the long, pain filled day starting to set in.

"That ship that was trying to contact us, the Old one that Pilot was talking about? It's here. And there's _humans_ on board. Their leader says he has a _fleet_ waiting for him at the wormhole." Chiana paused for a moment. "They want to talk to you. Seems they aren't able to understand us and aren't willing to take microbes until you speak to them. They said they had a really small computer that they inject just below the skin near your ear that does the same thing as the microbes, but also said some science talk I didn't understand about it not working with the languages here. John, there's other races with them too. One of them makes Dargo look tame. We moved to be near the Command Carrier, and they have all their ships out, protecting us in case something happens."

John jumped at the thought that not only were there now more humans in the Uncharted Territories, but somehow they'd managed to bring a fleet with them. "I'm on the way back Pip. I'll be there in a few microts. Hang on and don't do anything to spook them." He paused for a moment. "Don't let Ryge or Stark talk to them. No telling what they'd do after a few microts dealing with either of those two."

78798798798797978798797

a- Paraphrase of a quote from the movie/book 'The Princess Bride'.


	30. Chapter 28

Here's ch 28.

if there's a part like (1) or (a) or something, it's because I want to add a comment about a line that didn't fit with the character speaking or it explains in other words what they meant. Some people don't like this, but I'm not dumbing down my writing because people are too lazy to read an extra paragraph that might contain details that don't write fit in the action/pace of the story, but that knowing them might make more sense of what is going on.

_Italics_ are thought.

**Bold is **emphasis.

(something like this) is internal monologue, or muttering, something that they want to say, but don't.

Underlined is replay of a message/flashback.

here's a little Farscape swearing lesson:

Frell-----Fuck

Dren----Shit

hezmana---either hell or damn, depending on context (go to hezmana, Hezmana-God damn)

farbot----nuts/crazy/insane

eema----ass

tralk---skank/slut/whore

789987789987789987789

On Guarm

"Well, Tam, has there been any luck with the contact?" Data asked as he returned the bridge. After the spotty conversation with the alien , who they assumed was female due to the tonals in the voice, he'd gone to the computer station with Reed to try and help the young officer work on the translation protocols.

"I was able to make out a few words from what she said. Something about a Crighton, and she mentioned Earth in what I believe was a questioning tone. I'm not sure if she believed what we told her. It was quite clear that while we didn't understand what she was saying, she understood what we were saying." The Betazed stated as he stared at the image of the female Leviathan which was drifting close to a large vessel that Guarm had recognized as a Peacekeeper design from the data they had collected from the other Leviathans.

"How are you able to tell that?" Laol asked, her eyes studying the various ships that coasted in the system. Some were obvious powerful military vessels, and others cargo haulers. Still others seemed to have no fixed purpose, and she guessed that these were private vessels.

"I can feel her frustration. It's very muted, compared to what I normally feel, even from this distance. Those dampers you installed might still be having an effect, even though you've turned off those nearest the bridge." Tam stated, moving from his cradle to stand next to the awestruck android. "Are Worf and Taree in the shuttles?" he asked the pair. With the disabling of the dampening field, the three organic crew members had been sent to work in the shuttle bay, preparing for a trip to either the planet surface or the other Leviathan.

Data nodded and gave a small grin. "Yes and Lt. Reed is still working on trying to isolate some of the language strains that are being sent over the comm systems in this region. Luckily our equipment was designed to assimilate foreign signals and adapt them to our own systems. This is a slightly more complicated process when accessing biotechnological systems like the ones most used in this region, but Lt. Reed assures me that he will soon be able to get us visual contact with the Leviathan. He believes it might actually be easier to gain visual processing when integrating with the technology of races as the Sebacceans, Nebari, and Scarrens, who use less biotech and more conventional forms of technology."

Tam nodded, though he only understood about half of what the experienced android had said. His training had contained little in the way of science, and more in the fields of history, politics, and diplomacy. He would be more adept at speaking to any contacts then discerning their technological breakdowns. "Any idea who or what the woman was talking about? She kept saying something about Crighton, humans, and Earth. I might not know what exactly she was saying, but if I had to guess, I'd say she was asking if we were humans from Earth, and then telling us that we had to wait for someone named Crighton to return in order to speak to him. Or her. From the agitation I could sense, I get the feeling that she doesn't believe we are human.

She seems . . . shocked to learn that we are here. When you were explaining our mission here, she gave strong feelings of disbelief and fear. Either she doesn't **believe** we are who and what we say, or she **fears** that we are who and what we say. I couldn't be more specific. Her mind is too different from anything I've encountered before. Even Guarm." The last was said with a voice full of affection for the living ship that had become his better half.

"It will be interesting to say the least to find out, won't it Laol?" Data asked his daughter, who turned to look at him.

Laol was smiling widely, filled with the wonder of the many different styles of ships out there. There had to be at least 100 different designs, many of which clearly did not come from the same species. "I can not wait to learn more about this new galaxy, Father."

789987789987

High Command

_I tire of this_. was the thought that passed through the mind of the most famed and honored Peacekeeper still living. He'd been in session with the rest of the Admiralty and the Chancellor for nearly 12 arns now, and he wanted nothing more then to shoot the majority of them. _It's no wonder so many have defected._ he thought, gazing impassively at the others in the council chambers. _With idiots like these in charge, it's a wonder we've survived half this long without killing ourselves. _He stood and slammed his hands on the table, startling the others gathered into silence.

"That is enough!" he stated emphatically. "I can listen to no more of this stupidity. We have greater matters to concern ourselves with then one individual, no matter what knowledge he may or may not possess. John Crighton and his crew have been pardoned by this very Council, and we will not risk angering him, and his new found allies, by breaking that agreement." His gaze swept over the other 8 figures in the chamber. "Even if he **has** aligned himself with Holt and the rebel forces, it does not matter. We must find a way to increase our forces along the border to Scarren territory and Nebari space. If that means compromising and forming an agreement with the rebels or the lesser races, then so be it. Without them, we can not hope to defend ourselves against **either** Scarren or Nebari forces."

"That's all well and good for you to say, Pashka. None of the ships under your command have defected. In fact, there hasn't even been anything but the standard casualties aboard those vessels directly under your command." stated 2nd Admiral Yan Ghafun. The pair had a long history of animosity towards each other.

Jedon glared at his opponent. If not for the presence of the others, he'd gladly slit Ghafun from sternum to groin. The other officer had long coveted his position and power, and while he had no direct proof, he believed that Ghafun had attempted to send several assassins to 'retire' him. "Ghafun, you are a fool. I lost many good men today. But there were fewer rebels on my ships, because I have not been blind. I have quietly had the crews loyalties examined, and sent those spies on my ships to other postings. My troops are loyal to me, then High Command. Not their own power and greed like some I could name."

"Enough!" stated the Chancellor as he glared at both of the old soldiers. "Each of you has long served High Command and no one questions either of your loyalty. Pashka is correct. As much as I hate to admit it, without those rebel ships, we stand little chance of lasting a cycle against either of our main enemies. And with the news being spread regarding their betrayal of High Command, it will not be long before our 'allies' begin their own defection. In order for the Peacekeepers and the Sebeccean race to survive, we must change. We must consider at least altering some of our standing policies regarding the lesser races if we are to convince them that they need us in order to survive." He held up a hand to forestall any protests. "I like this no more then you Ghafun or any other true officer. But until the Scarrens and Nebari are eliminated, or at least contained, we are at a disadvantage. Think of this: Would you rather allow a few minor liberties to lesser species such as the Luxans, or would you prefer they refuse to aid us and sit idly by while the Scarrens destroy us, and the Nebari pick out territories clean?"

The members of the council muttered under their breath as they pondered their options. There were few, and none of them very pleasant, but the prime concern had to be survival. Once they had rebuilt their forces and defeated their enemies, they could again turn their attention to consolidating Peacekeeper control of Known Space, the Uncharted Territories, and Tormented Space.

"But what can we do about Crighton? Scorpius is still urging us to 'convince' this human to aid us, in any manner we can. The half-breed is still obsessed with the wormhole knowledge Crighton is presumed to have in his possession, and I do not know how much longer we will be able to control the hybrid freak." one of the other Councillors stated.

"I will control Scorpius, Admiral." Chancellor Brae Cappae stated, his voice as solid as a Carrier's hull. "As for Crighton, we will leave him be as Pashka suggests. But if it is proven that he is providing the rebels with weapon designs or wormhole tech, we will set Scorpius loose upon him again. Though I will allow this, Ghafun, take one of your ships and proceed to Roamean territory. Take no action but shadow the Leviathan Moya, and Noreg Holt's carrier. I want to know about all the messages that leave either, especially any between them. Arrange a meeting with our associates in the territory and offer your aid -your discrete, invisible aid if they have any plans to take action against Crighton or Holt. I want to know what each had for breakfast and how many times they scratched their eemas when they woke."

Ghafun nodded and smirked. "I have just the people to perform such delicate tasks, Chancellor. Unlike the others, I will not fail."

The Chancellor grunted and turned away from the council table. "You had better not, Ghafun, or you will wish that your fate was as simple as the Living Death. Take no action other then observation without my direct orders. Make sure that any men you send are aware that they will be publicly disavowed should they be captured, even if we honor them privately."

"Of course, Chancellor. I leave at once." the 2nd Admiral, the third most powerful figure in the Peacekeeper ranks stood and left the council chambers.

Knowing they were dismissed, the rest of the council members filed out, each going back to their daily tasks. Only Pashka and Cappae remained.

"Are you sure that is wise, Brae?" Pashka asked of his old friend. They had come up through the ranks together, and while some of their opinions differed now, they'd shared too much spilled blood to hate each other.

"No, Jedon, I am quite sure that it is completely farbhot." The Chancellor sat in his seat, looking wearily at his long time friend. "But what choice do I have now? Frell, if only Holt had waited until after the coming wars to stage his little rebellion. But the impatient fool just couldn't wait. He always was too quite to jump the gun without fully understanding the scope of a given situation."

Jedon nodded, having trained the rebel Captain during his rise through the ranks. "What do you really think of the defection, my friend?"

Brae Cappae snorted and glared at his friend in mock anger then deflated. "Truthfully, I agree with most of the changes they are demanding. I have tried to alter the regulations and customs of our people, but it's been a long and difficult process. Holt doesn't realise that things have changed, because he wasn't even born when we left the birthing cradles to take our assigned places in the training creche. He has no idea of how much things have already changed in the last 150 cycles. He never saw the treatment given to the conscripted soldiers, or the fact that many good and solid soldiers who should have risen high in the ranks were held down due to their non-cradle origins. That those born free and brought into the ranks were used only as living shields for those born to this life. And aside from a few hidebound or overly aggressive officers, the treatment of the lesser races has improved as well. Before, we would never have even hesitated to kill Crighton and his crewmates before obliterating the Leviathan. Now instead, we merely attempted to torture and blackmail him in order to gain his cooperation. I don't know if that shows growth or decay, Pashka? Would it not have been more just to kill him then force him to undergo the treatment he's received at the hands of Crais and Scorpius?"

"Perhaps, but I can tell you that if we had killed him, we would already be dead." Pashka stated as he regarded his former recreation partner. "Whatever else that has happened since Crighton's arrival, he has been a force of change and drive for our soldiers. Those who don't wish to be the one to kill him, are starting to wish that they had half of his capabilities. His constant evasion of those chasing him, and the piles of dead that lay at his feet are goals for our troops to emulate. His fame and the soldiers whose deaths he's responsible for have given our men a goal to aim for. Either they wish to do as their compatriots have failed and kill him, or they wish to accomplish the ever growing number of feats he's somehow managed to perform. Escape a Command Carrier and free a leviathan? Rob a Shadow Depository? Destroy a Gammack Base? Constantly elude and belittle Scorpius? Single-handedly destroy a Scarren dreadnought and kill who knows how many Scarrens in face-to-face battle? Overcome a Nebari controller? It's easy to see why many of our own men look to him for inspiration."

"It's almost enough to make you wish that Crais hadn't been such a fool. He had the perfect bait in his hands to control Crighton, and to convince Crighton to join us, but instead he declares Aeryn Sun 'irreversibly contaminated' and threatens to 'retire' her. If the fool wasn't already dead, I'd enjoy ripping him apart." He sighed and waved his old friend away. "I grow tired of this, Jedon. Soon, it will be time for me to step down, and I want you to take my place. But for now, return to your ship. I allowed Ghafun to send a ship to Roamean space because I knew the fool would go without my orders, and this way, I can exert a bit of control over his actions. I want you to also go to that region, but remain on the border. Keep active sensor scans of the area around Ryra. I want you to track whatever Ghafun does and make sure he does not over step his orders. I do not wish to anger the Roameans or Crighton. With the defection and the growing tension with the Scarrens and Nebari, we don't need two more enemies to worry about. You are authorized to use whatever force is needed to protect John Crighton from Ghafun and our 'associates' on Ryra."

"I will leave within the rotation(1), Brae. Just do your best to control Scorpius. I've heard from my sources on his new base that he is getting impatient with the lack of success and might be planning to ignore the pardons and chase down Crighton again. He's already gone after all those Crighton has interacted with in any form of tech exchange." Jedon stated as he stood, saluting his superior.

"Good hunting, First Admiral. May your prey be foolish and lead you to a prize of value." Brae Cappae stated formally and returned the salute and dismissing the high ranking officer and closest thing he had to a friend.

798798797987987987987897987

Moya

John grunted as he landed from the jump down from the module's wing. He'd slightly twisted an ankle during their little run from their pursuers and now that the adrenaline was wearing off, it was protesting his abuse. "Hey Pip, you said you got a message from another leviathan that claims to have humans aboard?"

"Careful there old man, looks like you might have done some damage to your leg there." the seductive Nebari replied as she slinked around a large crate. "And Pilot saved the message. We didn't understand half of what they were saying, but it was English -at least some of it. There were two people, one speaking English and the other a language the microbes had trouble translating at first. By the end of their message, they kicked in and we could understand what they were saying. But it didn't help. None of it made sense with what you were telling us about Earth. They claim to be from some sort of Federation of planets, and have a tech a thousand cycles ahead of what you say Earth has."

Dargo snorted. "Your basing that on how long advances have occurred here, Chiana. You forget how quickly Crighton's people have advanced in less then a hundred cycles."

Chiana gave the Luxan a harsh look and shrugged. "Doesn't matter, they're still way more advanced then they were the time we visited Earth."

John frowned as the group moved out of the bay towards the central chamber. "Pilot, key up the message at the beginning. When we reach the chamber, I want to here it first. Was there a visual signal as well?"

The calm voice of the integrated pilot came over the comms in reply. "Unfortunately, the signal was not compatible with Moya's network. We are shifting through various frequencies in an attempt to cross connect to their visual systems, but their technology might be too different from anything we have encountered before."

John considered the options as they used the lifts to travel up the five tiers to the central chamber and their main inhabited section. "Pilot, the module might be able to connect to their system. I'm betting that if they are human, then they must still be able to use or access the basic frequencies used by IASA. Send a DRD or two to the module to hot wire Moya to it's systems. Once that's done, you should be about to transfer the data to a frequency Moya can use and put it on the clamshell. There might be a bit of lag between us, but since they are so close, spatially speaking, it even be more then a microts lag."

"I have sent the DRD's to patch Moya to the module, Commander. By the time you reach the chamber, they will have made the connection and be able to translate the image frequencies into Moya's systems. Hopefully, Commander, you will have more luck understanding what they were saying then the rest of us."

John grinned. "Has Moya been talking to the other Leviathan? Maybe she can ask him for sensor data from the wormhole they claim to have travelled and the region of space they came here from?"

There was a pause as the pilot communed with the ships intelligence. "Commander, what you ask is a very sensitive subject. It would be similar to someone asking you to view all you memories. I will attempt to convince Moya to ask, but she is somewhat hesitant to offend Guarm. He is a very ancient breed of leviathan, one that still has the ability to grow weapons systems. In fact, from what she can see, Moya senses that he is somewhat armed. Not as heavily as Talon was, but easily a match for a cruiser or corsair class vessel."

"Well, don't want to anger the guy, but if he's here carrying a crew from Earth's general area, then he should know to expect to be asked to confirm his claims. Just .. . be polite. If this . . Guarm? If Guarm is carrying humans from Earth, and not some other mixed up offshoot like Sebacceans and Iterions, then I don't want to give him any reason to broadcast Earth's location, no matter how advanced they are."

Aeryn frowned. She'd heard something odd in the Pilot's voice as he discussed the other Leviathan. "Pilot, does Moya have a problem with Guarm's being armed? There was an unusual tone in your voice when mentioning him."

There was another pause before the Pilot's voice came back. "Moya. . . Moya has no problem with Guarm's armaments. In fact . . .she finds him to be an attractive specimen. His age and size are . . . intriguing to her."

John chuckled. "Well damn, and here I thought I'd seen everything." He stroked one of the ribs that formed the walls of Moya's interior. "So the girl's sweet on the old man, huh? Good for her. Maybe she can sweet talk the guy into telling her what we need."

There was a spluttering from Pilot's end of the comm. "Commander! Are you suggestion Moya offer to **mate** with Guarm in exchange for all his sensor data?"

John chuckled. "Well, I didn't mean for her to take it that far. Just a little harmless flirting and ego stroking. I mean, if he's been alone all that time, he might enjoy being charmed by an attractive young leviathan like Moya." He paused for a moment and winked to Chiana. "Chiana could explain what guys like to hear. Of course, if Moya's interested in him, and he returns that interest, well then . . . we are we to keep her from . . . getting better acquainted with him."

"Commander!" Pilot's affronted voice exclaimed as the crew chuckled along with the human expatriot.

They were still laughing as they reached the chamber and took their usual seats, facing the clamshell shell just as the message, now accompanied by the visual aspect previously missing, replayed for those who had not previously seen it.

They watched the message play, John paying more attention to the body language of the beings shown then the actual words. He heard what sounded like a standard greeting while his eyes darted from the golden skinned humanoid to the dark skinned and ridged forehead of the scowling figure with the aggressive posture. _He's a warrior._ he thought to himself as he took in the uniforms and badges each wore. He noted the circular pips that four of the 6 had on the right side of their neck and guessed that they were indications of rank. The gold skinned and golden eyed figure with the nearly total lack of body language had 4 of the circles and a small bar underlining the 4 pips. He wasn't sure if it was a distortion of the transfer, but the bar looked newer then the pips, which looked a bit like dull gold. It was also a silvery metal that he guessed must be platinum. The alien with the dark skin and ridged forehead also had a bar under his 4 pips, but the bar only underlined 3 of the pips and also looked to be gold.

There were two female figures, or what he was guessing were females. One had short dark hair, styled in a bob and was smiling gently while looking at their vid screen. Her head was tilted to the side slightly, and her hands were clasped in front of her. She was nearly as still as the gold skinned figure, and when he looked closer, he noticed that her skin had a bit of a golden tinge to it as well. _Wonder if they're related?_ John thought as he turned to study the others.

The other female had skin so pale it looked nearly white. She was standing near the dark warrior, and unlike him, her skin looked to be as smooth as an ancient statue. From what he could see, there didn't seem to be any kind of lines or bumps on her skin. Even her fingers, which he could see clenching and unclenching her fists as she shifted from one foot to the other didn't seem to have any sags or lines in the skin. Her eyes were an incredibly vibrant shade of blue, and her hair was multi-toned, containing streaks of black and blue. Her bearing was pure military and John had no doubt that she was as much a warrior as the male standing next to her.

The other two figures looked like your typical humans/Sebacceans. Except that he'd never seen a Sebeccean with Asian features and skin tone. The lighter skinned and haired man had something of a nervous twitch, as though he was afraid that any moment, something was going to crash or bang loudly. The Asian man seemed calmer, and looked to be consciously setting his body into a calm, relaxed posture, like those used by psychiatrist to settle their patients before questioning them. John knew that posture well, having had to undergo many psych evaluations in order to be allowed into space and attempt to prove his theory. _Either he's a shrink, or some kind of communication specialist. Though he too has shown some signs of knowing how to handle himself. In fact, aside from the twitchy brown-haired guy, and the pair with the goldish skin, they all seem to know what they are doing. I'm betting even the leader is something of a fighter, though he's standing so still that if I didn't know better, I'd think he was a machine._

"Replay the message again, Pilot." he turned to the others. "Sorry, I wasn't listening. I was watching their body language. D, Aeryn, watch the people on the screen, don't listen to the words. Chi, you and Jool too. You might notice something I missed or confirm something I'm thinking." He turned back in time to catch the opening words of the message.

"Greetings to the Leviathan Moya and her Crew. I am Colonel Data, currently assigned to this vessel, a Leviathan named Guarm. We are here as representatives of the United Federation of Planets. The UFP is a congregation of inhabited worlds representing more then 50 intelligent species. Among the founding members of the Federation are Humans, Vulcans and others.

The Federation is a peaceful organisation devoted to the exploration of space and expansion of knowledge among it's members. The spacial branch of the Federation is known as StarFleet. StarFleet vessels occupy such tasks as diplomatic envoys, exploratory vessels, and defensive forces of the Federation.

We travelled to this quadrant from our home in the Alpha quadrant through a wormhole discovered by Guarm and his pilot, Tam Eldrin. After finding a quicker way to return to his home galaxy, Guarm transmitted and received messages with a pod of Leviathans who lived freely in the region surrounding the opening of the wormhole in this region of the universe.

Upon learning of the many changes since he was last in his home territory, Guarm and Tam returned to Federation space to seek a crew to travel with them to the 'new' galaxy. Due to certain circumstances, Tam and Guarm chose myself to accompany them, and I picked a crew that would understand the special needs of Guarm and his pilot. The crew currently consists of my 1st officer and tactical officer, Major Worf Rhozenko of the Klingon Empire, Lt. Commander Yasha Taree of the Angrogein Conglamorate our shuttle pilot and survey specialist, Lt. Oswald Reed of the Earth colony Alpha Centauri Prime our communications specialist, my daughter Laol, and Tam Eldrin of Betazed a specialist in first contact situations.

We are currently on a mission of exploration to gather information regarding the major and minor races of this region. Due to the knowledge learned from the leviathan pod, we have chosen to seek the leviathan Moya as according to their information, the majority of the most recent and 'explosive' events in this region are related to members of her crew.

We seek to make peaceful contact with any interested parties, and offer the possibility of a technological or cultural exchange. We wish to learn more about the races of this quadrant. If you agree to meet with us, we can take a shuttle over to your vessel, or we can speak over the comm systems. Apparently our system is somewhat incompatible with your own, and this has led to some problems in communication. Hopefully, these problems would be minimalized by a face-to-face meeting. We are also aware that there might be a language barrier, and are working on a solution. We understand that you are implanted with a microbe that allows those of this region to understand each other. We have a similar translation device, though ours is mechanical in nature, and has shown a distinct lack of ability to translate samples of Sebeccean, Luxan, and Hynerian that Guarm has managed to intercept. We hope that by combining our efforts with a sample of these microbes, we can alter the Universal Translators to possess the ability to translate between our languages.

We will keep our systems open, and hope to hear from you soon. Unfortunately, we were unable to understand most of the reply you sent us. All we understood was a name, Crighton, and that he is human. We believe you wish for us to wait for him to return to act as a translator. When you wish to contact us, just send a message on this frequency. If we do not hear from you within 4 hours, then we shall again attempt to communicate. It was obvious that while we couldn't translate your message, you understood at least the basics of our own.

Until that time, 

Colonel Data, signing off."

John leaned back in his seat, allowing the highlights of the message to replay in his mind while listening to Aeryn and the others discuss the appearance and unspoken dialogue from their visitors. Aeryn and Dargo seemed to agree with his assessment that aside from the one identified as Tam and the young woman, the rest were used to carrying and using the odd looking weapons strapped on their bodies. Chiana seemed to have noticed Tam's nervousness and the image of calm Reed was portraying. Jool was curious about the father and daughter, and she eve mentioned the same thought John had about the . . . artificial nature of their mannerisms. John wasn't quite ready to seriously consider the android theory, but after having encountered several bioreploids, he wasn't going to discount it either.

"So, should we arrange a meet and greet?" he asked when the arguing died down to a dull roar.

The others looked at each other and then at him. Not surprisingly it was Dargo who replied. "It might be best to arrange a meeting on a neutral location. Until we learn more about them, I do not think it wise to allow an unknown party to board Moya. We have only their claims as to their origins. We must see proof before any exchange of information can take place."

John nodded, having already come to the conclusion that the others would reach. "And luckily, we have 2 possible neutral locations right here in this system."

Dargo scowled. "There are many asteroids with atmosphere in this system. Where would you suggest we meet these people?"

"I think our only two options after that little fiasco, are on the Freedom Reigns, or in the governmental complex on Ryra. I'm leaning to the carrier myself, since I want to confirm that they are from Earth and that Earth is able to defend itself before risking giving their location to the Roamean. Lyar seemed like a decent guy, but we were just shot at by some of their people. Before I give them the keys to Earth, I want to know Earth has a second set of locks. And I don't want to share too much info about Earth with Lyar until we can confirm some of the info he gave us and is offering to share."

Dargo sighed. "So we will send a message saying to meet us on the Carrier? Will this Captain allow such a thing? Are you not worried about their learning of Earth's location?"

John sighed. "Look, I know most PK's have fallen into to categories: trying to kill us or trying to torture us, but I have a good feeling about Holt. Even with what he told us about the slaughter of their own troops that happened earlier, I think he's a decent guy, who was stuck doing something he hated, but felt was necessary for the safety of his people. There was no torture or cruelty in the deaths. They were killed quickly and as peacefully as could be, and their bodies were treated with respect. I might not like that he killed 4000 of his own crew, but I can understand that it was those 4000 or the 46000 others on board would be at risk."

Aeryn continued when John stopped. "Holt has no interest in Earth or in wormholes. He wishes to forces changes into Peacekeeper policy in order to return the Peacekeeper forces to their original mission of keeping the peace instead of enforcing the peace. Peacekeepers were never supposed to wage war against others, they were supposed to protect all the races from foreign invasions. But greed and pride in their superior vessels and armaments overcome them and they began taking over territories for themselves and subjugating what they termed lesser species. Holt and his fellow rebels wish to bring an end to that policy and return to the original intent. We can trust them this far, but we should not attempt to interfere in their actions, or they might come to see us as siding with High Command, and should that happen, we will again be running from our enemies."

"Fine, we will send a message to this Colonel Data to meet us on the carrier tomorrow morning. That will give Holt and ourselves time to prepare in case they prove hostile. I will send the message requesting the use of one of the carrier's smaller meeting rooms near the landing bay while John sends the message to the other leviathan." Dargo stated as he stood and stormed out of the chamber.

John gave a puzzled look towards his friend's departing back an shrugged. "Hey Pilot, patch me through to the other leviathan on that frequency they sent us, would you?"

"Of course, Commander. The connection is open when you are ready."

John sat straight and put on a serious expression, as did Aeryn at his side. Chiana moved to be out of range of the image recorder, though Jool remained where she was, studying the data downloaded from the Roamean library.

"Greetings, Guarm and crew. Welcome home." he began. "I am Commander John Crighton of IASA, former mission specialist and Air Force brat. I travelled to this region of space nearly 5 cycles ago through a wormhole that opened in my flight path during an experiment I was conducting to prove my 'Slingshot' theory of space flight. That occurred my time in 1999.

I don't know what your current date is, but if you are human, I'm going to assume your at least 200 years after I disappeared. I don't know if you have records of that time, but if you do, you should be able to find the standard data about me.

I won't bore you with the various messes I've landed in since arriving here, but I would have to say that the gossiping leviathans are mostly right. A lot of the more . . . universally altering events of the last 5 cycles do happen to revolve around this crew. And most of those are related in some way to wormhole tech. You see, there are a lot of big bad wolves in this area of the universe. And they've developed a taste for wormhole tech, not only for travel, but because they believe that wormhole tech is this regions answer to the nuclear bombs of WWII.

And sadly, I'm Einstein, Rosenberg, and Schroedinger all rolled up into one. An ancient race, known oddly enough as the Ancients, downloaded all their wormhole tech into my screwed up brain, and the wolves have been trying to claw it out ever since.

There's more to talk about, but it might be best to do so face to face. We're a little gun shy around here, so the meetings not gonna take place on Moya. At least, not for now. Maybe once we get to know each other better, we can have a sleep over, but for now, we're offering to meet with you on board the large, well armed and crewed ship currently aiming it's guns at you. Don't worry, they won't fire unless you do, but everyone here's a bit jumpy right now. You picked a weird time to come home, Guarm. There's a a six or seven sided war between the main species out here taking place, and we are caught in the middle. Some want us to help them, others want us dead, and others want nothing more then for us to leave this region and never come back.

Any way, back to the meeting. Just fly on over to the carrier tomorrow morning and we'll all be there to meet you. I'm inviting the carrier's captain and his XO to join us, and there will be an honor guard. Feel free to go armed, because we will be. We've had difficulties with PK's before, and aren't sure we can trust them any more then we trust you. In fact, the only people I trust right now are on Moya, so don't feel bad that I'm not greeting you with open arms. Just be glad I'm not greeting you the way we greeted our surprise guests on the surface a few arns ago.

So, if you agree, send a message stating your day cycle and the time that is best for you, and we'll meet you there." John's eyes hardened and he looked straight into the recorder. "And if this is some kind of trick, then you'd better hope that you do better at capturing us then Scorpy, because I'll make damn sure that what I do to you makes what happened to the Scarren Dreadnought and the Ananto system look like child's play." His face resumed it's jovial expression. "Commander John Crighton, wishing you all a goodnight, and sweet dreams."

798798798797979797979879879

Data frowned as the message finished and the screen went blank. He turned to the rest of the crew. "What do you think?" he asked, wanting each of their opinions.

Worf spoke first, as was his due. "I think he is a dangerous and disturbed individual. One that might possibly be able to make good on the threat he made at the end of the message. If it is true that he was sent through both time and space by the wormhole he originally transversed, then there will be records of his mission in the data base." He paused. "I also think he made several good points. It is too early in our relations with this quadrant to risk endangering the innocent by providing our technology. We must learn more about the races and the war he was discussing."

Taree spoke next. "We must also learn as much as we can about this Crighton and his exploits. If he is as capable as he seems, and has the technology to turn wormholes into weapons, he could be a threat of untold proportions to the entire Federation."

Reed shook his head and grinned. "I didn't get the sense that he was a threat until right at the end. He seems to be intelligent and friendly, but I noticed several minor gestures that indicate a high level of paranoia and possible mental dysfunction. He's undergone some severe traumas since he's arrived, and he hasn't recovered from them. I don't know if it's possible for him to ever recover, judging from his body language, the changes have become too ingrained in his character. I would have loved to have met him before he arrived here."

"I have to agree with Lt. Reed, Father. I noticed several signs that indicated severe mental trauma, as well as physical trauma. His humor is a shield to protect himself from incurring more damage to his fragile psyche. I would say he shows signs of schizophrenia but it might just be that he's entered a state of delusion. Whatever has happened to him, he has not been able to put behind him. There was a great deal of fear and anxiety in his eyes while he spoke, especially when he mentioned those seeking to use wormholes as weapons. I would say he's encountered several of these individuals, and that the meetings were not pleasant or even civil."

Data nodded, not questioning his daughter's diagnosis. After all, she did have the complete works of Federation psychiatry and psychology and detailed accounts of various mental disorders from each of the main species. She was as technically qualified as any specialist in the field. "What of you Tam, what do you and Guarm think?"

Tam startled as he turned his head to face Data. "What? Oh, yes. Well I can't really tell. His body language seemed relaxed, but there was a tension. His clothes were dirty disheveled. It looked almost like he'd been in a fight recently. He had dust and powder residue on him similar to that found on people who'd been hiding behind something while being shot at. I think he was in a fire fight recently, and that has only added to his paranoia. I can't sense anything, since Taree and the dampeners block my empathy, but I would judge that Laol and Reed are correct in their assessment. He has gone through many such situations to be as calm as he was when he sent the message. He must have sent it right after returning to the leviathan from the planet's surface, which means that he's grown used to having people trying to kill him. I would suggest extreme caution when speaking to him as there is no telling what kind of reaction he would have to the wrong word or gesture. I've dealt with several people with similar traits during my years in the diplomatic core."

Data nodded and allowed his processors to work on several possible dialogues to guard against an adverse reaction from the man. While those went through the back of his mind, he considered the next steps in the front portion of his matrix. "I will arrange a meeting for 1100h our time on the carrier as he requested. Tam I would like you, Laol and Taree to remain on Guarm while Worf, Reed and I travel to the other vessel. Should the meeting go well, then I shall contact you to join us in the second shuttle. For now, I want to refrain from using the transporters unless absolutely necessary. Lt., I want you to bring a medical tricorder as well as whatever equipment you might need to record or download any samples of their languages they might be willing to share. I will load my tricorder with as much historical data as it can hold.

If Crighton is from 1999, then he is nearly 400 years out of date, and might wish to learn of our history and the formation of the Federation. Worf, issue yourself and Reed phaser rifles as well as Mark I and Mark II phasers. I will carry a Mark II phaser. You may also bring your batleth. I do not wish to startle our potential allies, but they should learn firsthand about some of various races in our sector." he paused as the others nodded confirmation of his orders. "For now, we have nearly 16 hours before the meeting. I suggest that the rest of you get some rest while I make contact with Crighton to arrange the meeting. Laol, I would like you to go through the historical database and search for any reference to John Crighton, unexplained spatial phenomena pre Federation, IASA, and rumored alien contact with Earth prior to the warp flight of Zephram Cochrane. I will join when I finish my own tasks."

The crew split up, Worf and Taree heading to the transfigured workout room for another sparring session, while Reed returned to his quarters to sleep. Tam took his central seat and was enveloped in a cocoon by Guarm.

Data went over to the StarFleet system they'd installed into Guarm. He entered his message, adding that he would be accompanied by two others, then signed off and went in search of Laol, pausing a moment to watch the fierce struggle between Worf and Taree. _I wonder if I shall have the chance to ever experience the joy of love?_ he thought to himself as he watched the pair. _Worf has found love twice, and lost it, yet it looks like he has an opportunity to forge those bonds again with Yasha Taree. I wonder if Tasha had not been killed, would she and I have evolved into a relationship? Or was I just a passing dalliance for her?_ Shrugging, he set aside his sorrowful thoughts and moved to join his daughter as she sludged through the enormous amount of historical information.

8979879798798798797898798797898798798

AN

It's hard to find verified data on the exact differences between Earth time and the time used in Farscape. It's even harder to verify distances and measurements. Here's what I'm using. I've seen some used to be all kinds of different measures. (i.e.-metra shown as Kilometer, microt as second, etc...)

Time Measures:

1-Rotation: a period of time roughly equal to 1 solar day on Sebaccea Prime. Most commonly used by PK's, the full term is Rotation Cycle, which is a three 8 arn(100 microt) shift cycle. Most shorten it to rotation.

arn-slightly longer then an Earth hour, it contains 100 microts

microt-slightly longer then a minute, contains a 100 count.

cycle-a year based on Sebaccea's orbit around it's star (only slightly longer then an Earth year at almost exactly 400 rotations(days) of 32 arns.

Distance Measures:

parsec-equal to 2.5 light years, which is distance from Sebaccea's star to nearest star (750 with 9 zeros metras)

metra-a distance of 100 dench (300 centimeters)

dench-equal to exactly 3 centimeters, making it larger then an inch


	31. Chapter 29

Sorry for long delays. Just recently moved/started new job, and haven't had much chance to write. While new job is comp extensive, not really allowed personal work on job PCs and they take remote screenshots and monitor all activity on the system to ensure it. Job is very very high security. So high in fact, I can't go into any detail about any of it without being fired on the spot. We had to have a background check just to be interviewed, and then a more detailed security check during the first week of training.

One guy got fired from training because he was caught bringing a cell phone that had a camera built in onto the production area. That's how secure the place is.

Here's ch 28.

if there's a part like (1) or (a) or something, it's because I want to add a comment about a line that didn't fit with the character speaking or it explains in other words what they meant. Some people don't like this, but I'm not dumbing down my writing because people are too lazy to read an extra paragraph that might contain details that don't fit right in the action/pace of the story, but knowing them might make more sense of what is going on.

_Italics_ are thought.

**Bold** is emphasis.

(something like this) is internal monologue, or muttering, something that they want to say, but don't during a speech or after it

Underlined is replay of a message/flashback.

here's a little Farscape swearing lesson:

Frell-----Fuck

Dren----Shit

hezmana---either hell or damn, depending on context (go to hezmana, Hezmana-God damn)

farbot----nuts/crazy/insane

eema----ass

tralk---skank/slut/whore

789987789987789987789

On Freedom Reigns

"So what do you think these strangers are going to tell us John?" Aeryn asked as she watched her lover pacing in the bay. The room was empty save for the commandoes who'd gone to Ryra to find them, aside from Captain Holt and Moya's crew.

The displaced commander paused in his circuit around his module. His head turned to stare out into open space as it was presendted through the bay doors. "I really have no idea, Aeryn. I'm still trying to come to grips with the wormhole having thrown me so far into the future, never mind however far we are in space from Earth. I mean, if those people have access to records from my time, they could know if I ever manage to return to Earth. God, they might be able to tell me what happened to my family! Or it could all be some kind of joke. Another all powerful alien frelling with my mind for shtis and grins."

Aeryn gave a lopside grin as she listened to her lover ramble on about his fears. They were all familiar with the list, as it was spouted every time they encountered any possible mention of Earth or wormhole travel. "John, I know that you must feel strange knowing that your family, the goal that you wanted to reach for so long, has been dead for centuries. That the world that you were born to and wished to return to for so long is gone. But you still have us, and we are your family. You once explained to me that one of your marriage customs on Earth ended with the phrase 'Until death do us part.' While the marriage part of that custom doesn't apply to **all** of us,we all feel that sense of unity inherent in that statement. We are all here at your side and watching your back, and we will remain there until we die."

John faced his friends, a surge of intense happiness filling him. He felt as much for the ragtag crew as he'd ever felt towards any one or anything in his life. They'd become as much a family to him as if they'd been related by blood. He'd once heard someone state that the family that you chose was stronger then the family you were born into. Or something like that.

"Well looks like they are coming in, John." Noreg stated as he listened to the comm chatter on his earpiece. "Appearently their tech is unlike any seen in Peacekeeper history. My tech staff is having fits trying to understand what they are assuming to be the ships power system and drives. There also seems to be an energy shield surroudning the vessel similar to what we were working on earlier. It is interfering with our sensors. Although Comm claims to have bridged the gap and to be able to sort their comm system. Audio and Video are both working now, thanks in large part to the patch you allowed us to connect to your module. There should be no further issues on our ends-at least in regards to such tech matters. Getting them to agree to the microbe implant and gaining acces to their own translation tech should be first priority."

The captain paused as he sensed a hint of defiance fropm Moya's crew. Strangely, it was mostly coming from Lt. Sun, not crom Crighton or even from Ka Dargo. He took a moment to shake his unease. "Unless you have another idea of how to bridge the communication barrier?" he asked, he watched as they all exchanged looks and John shook his head. He was pleased to feel the tension recede and smiled at his new friends. Reminder to self: Never order or phrase anything in a remotely order like manner around these people. They obviously don't like outsiders trying to dictate their actions.

Silence filled the bay as John resumed his pacing and the others their waiting. It didn't take long for the oddly shaped vessel to appear before the open doors and enter the bay. It strongly reminded John of the newer style mini-Vans from his own time, though it was significantly larger. There was a pontoon style pod on each side of the vessel, with some type of blueish light emitting in a strip around the middle of the pod. The front was a large glass like material. Through the material, you could just make out three figures seating inside.

The vessel turned in the air with no obvious signs of manouvering thrusters. It presented it's rear to the crowd, and then lowered gently to the ground, using no type of landing gear other then the pods and it's own belly. There was a pulsing around the glowing strip as it landed, then the glow dimmed to little more then a night light strength. The rear of the vessel started moving, revealing it to bbe a door and a ramp as well as the rear wall.

Once the hatch had firmly contacted the ground, three figures moved into the opening and started down. The golden skinned one who'd identified himself as Colonel Data in the first message was followed by the dark skinned warrior he'd called Major Worf. He seemed even more intiminating in person then over the screen, and John for one would hate to anger him. The third was the human like man with asian features.

Each was armed with odd looking weapoons, the warrior and the asian man carryting some type of rifle as well as several pieces equipment around a belt. The Colonel only had two pieces of equjipment, and since all three had identical equipment, John guessed that the one with a handle had to be a weapon while the boxy looking one was likely some type of scanner or computer equipment.

"Welcome to the Rebel Sebeccean Command Carrier, Freedom Reigns. As you might have known, I'm John Crighton, Commander in what used to be known as IASA in my time. This distinguished gentleman nearby is Captain Noreg Holt, the commanding officer of this vessel and one of the leaders of the Free Sebeccean Armies, also known as the Rebel Peacekeepers or 'those damn traitors', depending on who you talk to. The giant man next to him is Lt. Gaan Reis, his 1st officer and the 2nd in command of this vessel. The men in the black suits with the bulky guns and security rigs are the flight crews for the Marauder class vessels 'Three Rings', 'Victory's Pain', and 'Burning Vengeance'."

John moved over to stand next to Aeryn. The three figures were now stepping off the hatch and onto the carriers deck plates. He placed his arm around Aeryn's shoulders and gave her a quick kiss on her cheek, using the moment to hide his nervousness. Only his family from Moya could tell that his babbling introduction was a means of hiding his nervous reactions to unusual situations.

He pulled away from Aeryn after she gave him a reasuring squeeze, then moved towards the three. "Uh, sorry. I don't know the current method of protocal to greet you, so how's about we shake hands. While it's obvious that we are all armed, at least this way, we can try and be open about our mutual mistrust in each other so instead of being disappointed if one of us betrays the other, then at least we won't be susprised." His face broke out in a grin. "And if we turn out not to betray each other, then we can all be decently surprised at that turn of development." His smile widdened as he noticed the confused looks on the faces of all three, though the golden skinned man's facial reactions seemed a little delayed. _Maybe that theory about robots isn't that far off._ he thought as he reached them, his hand held out in front of him.

The gold skinned man took a step forward to meet him, and extend his own hand, meeting John's grip and shaking it for the appropriate length of time and strength of grip. "Greetings Commander. My name is Data. I am currently the StarFleet representative aboard the leviathan known as Guarm. It's pilot and commander is a Betazed named Tam Eldrin. The gentlemen with me are Major Worf of the Klingon Empire and Lt. Reed of Earth."

"Well now that the greetings are out of the way, let's get on to trying to prove what we've been telling each other. I notice that you are wearing some kind of mini-scanner or computer link up, so why don't you scan away while we walk over to the small room for the rest of the meeting. I have some questions I'm dying to assk, and I'm sure you'd like to know if I really am from some 300 or so years in your past."

Data nodded to Reed, who flipped open his tricorder and began scanning the others as they crossed the bay to the small room where the fight crews held breifings and meetings. Once all those that were attendting ahad filed in and taken seats -each faction of the three sided conference had sat together at the newly installed table. StarFleet on once side, Moya's crew across from them, and Reis and Holt at one end- John spoke again.

"Well how ydo you think this should go? I was thinking of starting with the translators on both sides, since before any thing elser happens, we should be able to understand each other."

"That seems to be a most logical beginning, Commander." Data pulled out his own tricorder and set it to the section in the historical database he'd found during the shuttle trip. "Afterwards, I have here a database of historical information that might interest you."

"Sounds good. Lt. Reed, right? You're the comm officer for this little trip?" John asked. His already spacious grin grew impossibly wider at the confirming nod. _It's good to see earth pbopdy language again._ he thought before continuing. "Alright, why don't you, me, and Captain Holt here work on the little communication barrier." The three most technically minded -bar the technoliogical marvel of the artificial being in the personage of Data- moved to a side table with where Holt's techs had already prepared equipment and samples of the translator microbes for examination and experimentation.

Before going too deeply into the projcect, John turned to the others. "Perhaps, COlonel, Major Worf would like to be given a tour of some of the facilities of the ship? I'm sure Lt. Reis and Aeryn wouldn't mind showing him, and possibly yourself if you are interested, around. There's some rather interesting tech here, and while you are obviously from an advanced culture, I'm sure there might be an idea or two that would interest you.

Aeryn can speak passable English, and even Dargo can muddle through. They have no problem understanding you, so if you have a question they can't anser, they can just comm me. Perhaps Dargo, along with Reis, can show Worf some of the weapons systems, shield tech, and the other vessels, while Aeryn brings you on a tour of the command level so you get a feel of Peacekeeper proceedures and training."

Data took a moment to consider the possibility that there was a malicious intent on the separation of the crew, but quickly decided against it. It was more likely thati t was meant as a means to reasure them that no one was in any danger from the parties involved, since Crighton was suggesting put himself -the most unknown member of the visitting trio- (while he doubted Crighton had ever encountered Klingon's, Worf's every movement and expression screamed that he was a warrior born, and Crighton being human himself would have some idea of the general abilities of Lt. Reed, so neither of them would potentially be as much a threat as he himself.

So Crighton deliberately placed his most prized crewmember- Data was much more skilled at interpreting the body language of humanoid species than he'd been before joining the Enterprise and he had known immediately that Crighton and LT. Sun were involved in an intimate relationship- into Data's sole influence showed that Crighton was willing to trust the saftey of his friends to strangers even before getting any proof of their peaceful intentions. It showed a lot of Crighton's character, especially considering the almost cheerful way he'd earlier threatened them and openly acknowledged his distrust in their stated origins and goals.

"That sounds like a fine solution to our mutual needs at the moment, Commander. I am indeed curious about the Peacekeeper people and wish to learn about their origins and social structures. And I am certain Worf would enjoy learning about the weapons and troop vessels of the Peacekeeper forces. Lt, feel free to provide whatever specs and technical information they might ask for, except for the standards defined by the Prime Directive." Data noticed the odd look on the faces of the PK's and Moya's crew and explained. "Starfleet protocol prevents us from sharing any weapons or drive technology with races that are below a certain level of scientific, social, and planetary development.

While I don't doubt that you have passed those levels, Lt. Reed does not have access to the encryption codes for that data. Only for the highest level of medical technology, general sciences and historical information. Feel free to search the historical database for any information you deem necessary to prove to yourself that we are indeed who we say we are."

The mixed groups split up and went along to their separate tasks, each with their own agendas, but all knowing that this was so. There would be few surprises of a hazardous nature.

7987987987987987987987987978

Gammack Base

"LEAVE NOW!" roared the harsh, throaty voice of the hidden bases commanding officer and lead scientist as yet another experiment failed. A passing tech ran from the hall, not wanting to be caught in his leader's sight less he end up like the poor unfortunate project heads who failed in creatinga stable wormhole and a ship capable of travelling those mysterious and powerful phenomenon.

Scorpius continued to rage until he fell to his knees, mouth foaming as his fragile body began to over heat. He clutched desperately at the side of his head, opening the chamber he'd had inserted in his own skull to control his body's negative reaction to over stimulation. He cursed the Scarrens for bringing him into the world and forcing him to go through the painful and arduous process of having the cooling system implanted into his head and the constant need to wear the cooling suit. There were a few perks of his condition, mostly the physical strength and endurance, but those were easily negated by anyone who could over come his cooling suit and rods.

He moved out of the room, ignoring the scurrying of the insignificant techs as they hurriedly moved to clean and ready the lab for the next project leader. He walked silently through the base, heading for the large bay and the Marauder he knew would be awaiting him.

He said nothing as he climbed up the ramp, ignoring the salutes and bows by the subvservient commandos. He took his seat and then stated the destination for the pilot, ignoring every one else as they filed in and took their own stations. "Dam-Ba-Da, Lt. As fast as you can. Should our quarry get away from us, I will be most displeased."

The young pilot gulped and nodded, then quickly set about getting the vessel off base and moving towards the destination. And the currently unaware future recruit who, according to rumor, had gotten the better of Crighton and obtained a copy of his module's flight data for its trips through wormholes.

9879879879879879798798

Sorry for long delay, but I am writting, it's just taking time to get online since I have to go through some hoops to get it set up at home.


	32. Chapter 30

Here's ch 30.

if there's a part like (1) or (a) or something, it's because I want to add a comment about a line that didn't fit with the character speaking or it explains in other words what they meant. Some people don't like this, but I'm not dumbing down my writing because people are too lazy to read an extra paragraph that might contain details that don't fit right in the action/pace of the story, but knowing them might make more sense of what is going on.

_Italics_ are thought.

**Bold** is emphasis.

(something like this) is internal monologue, or muttering, something that they want to say, but don't during a speech or after it

Underlined is replay of a message/flashback.

here's a little Farscape swearing lesson:

Frell-----Fuck

Dren----Shit

hezmana---either hell or damn, depending on context (go to hezmana, Hezmana-God damn)

farbot----nuts/crazy/insane

eema----ass

tralk---skank/slut/whore

789987789987789987789

On Freedom Reigns

John, Holt and Reed were going through a vaast series of calculations and possibilities to possibly combine the translator microbes with the Federation universal translators. The problem was that while they were all technologicaly gifted, none were experts on the biomechanical systems used to create the microbes. John had a rather advanced knowledge of biomechancial systems when relating to Moya's maintenance, he had no experience working on the microscopic level of the microbes. Reed was used to a wholly mechanical technoligy that was really only starting to explore extremely basic levels of biotech, and Holt was more of a weapons sytem/ship design.

"Look, I don't know about you two, but I need a break. A break and a meal." John stated, putting down the schematics relating to the UT's circuitry. He hated to admit it, but it was a little beyond his current level. He was still struggling with the differences from 20-21st century tech and the tech of the Unchaarted Territories. Having to try and understand 300 years of advancement and technological innovation in one day was too much even for him. "Captain, why don't you send down to the galley for a fair sized meal. We can eat in here. We'll call down the others from where ever they happen to be in their tours, and relax a bit before getting back to business. This is going to be harder then I thought."

"A good idea, Crighton." Holt stated as he leaned away from the table, wincing as his spine crackled. "It has been several hours and we are no closer to a solution then when we began."

Reed frowned, and also looked up. He hadn't really heard what the pair had said as he considered some options. "Perhaps we're over thinking the solution. Maybe we should try something simpler."

Both of the other men leaned forward, their interest showing in their eyes. It was Crighton who spoke first.

"Something's brewing in that brain of yours, Reed?"

"I think that we should try implanting the microbes into someone who has the UT working. I'm willing to try this. Perhaps the pproblem isn't with trying to force an external cross compatability, but creating an internal connection between the devices."

"Intriguing solution, if it works." Holt stated, steepling his fingers. "But wouldn't your universal translator and the microbes interfere with each other?" John translated for the Starfleet officer.

Reed shrugged. "That's what we've been trying to solve, but I think something else would happen. I think that the microbes being somewhat alive would 'overhear' what ever was said and add it to their own network with both the original language and the translation by the UT. The UT would do then be able to copy and translate the language issued by the microbes as the person spoke their native language. I think that as the microbes proces new languages, they actually 'teach' them to an individual and that once that person 'knows' the language, the microbe stops translating unless it's a part of the language that doesn't directly translate. Or when the person isn't actually capable of speaking the language for biological or environmental reasons."

John frowned as he considered Reed's theory. "You know, I think you're on to something about the microbes. The problem is that we can't test them since they can't be removed without causing some serious brain damage. Trust me on this. I know from experience."

Reed matched the other's frown, wondering what kind of experience with brain damage Crighton could have. He didn't seem any odder then some of the other people he'd met who spent most of their time with non human races. Hell, he was more normal for a human than Worf was for a Klingon. It sometimes seemed odd to him that long term, isolated exposure to a society not of their own racial origins often caused beings to be forced to adapt all the worst or less flatering aspects of their races nature.

Worf was a fine example of this. He was an incredible warrior who valued honor and loyalty above all. Yet he had been forced to retain control of his urges, urges that normal Klingons could and did allow. Such as their sense of humor and romance. Klingons were a passionate people, and that passion extended to all aspects of their lives. Worf had repressed his passion and only allowed it to show during battle.

Reed might not be a liscensed counsellor, but as a communication expert, he'd been required to take a minor in psychology, both human and non. He could see that Crighton was not as easy going as he was pretending. The man's every move and statement screamed that he was using humor as a block against the stress he must be under. It was a common defense mechanism, and after hearing a little about his life in this galaxy over the last few hours while they struggled to combine their vastly different technologies, he could understand why the man was behaving as he did. It must be hard enough being the only one of your kind amongst untold millions of aliens, but to have large numbers of those aliens hunting you for knowledge you never really had in your possession until one alien implanted the knowledge in you, but placed blocks to hide the knowledge from your mind must be incredibly painful and frightening.

A twitch from Holt drew Reed's eyes and he turned to face the older man, wondering what about Crighton's statement could discomfort the man. He was further confused as the man spoke.

"Yes, well, that's in the past, and I hope you know that I do not condone the way your arrival was handled by either of the two commanding officers. Bialar Crais was a great leader during a battle, but a bit of a hot headed fool. And Scorpious . . . well the abomination is a matter best left discussed only when all involved are very, very inebriated or certain that he can not discover the conversation. While I trust my crew, I don't doubt that those rebels who attacked you on the planet have the ability to tap into our comm systems. They seemed very well organized and well funded. I suspect that someone on the Roamean Council is aiding or hiring them."

John snorted. "Me either. There are always some in power who care about their own power and a twisted immortality then they do about helping their people. I have no doubt that Roamean's are any different from Peacekeepers or humans in that regard. I'm sure that much hasn't changed in the last 300 years."

Reed gave a small grin. He was missing half the conversation, but that didn't really matter given the main topic. "Sadly, Crighton, you're right. As much as we've done to improve life on Earth and on the other worlds in the Federation, there's always those who think they coudl do better. While some might have the ability to improve things, most are ego driven thugs concerned only with their own fears and desires."

"Enough of this fruitless chatter." Holt stated after ending a tech to the galley to have the meal prepared. "Let's gather the troops, have something to eat, and then finish with the translation work. There is still much to discuss and I for one would prefer to be able to speak directly to our new guests."

John nodded and tapped his comm, as did Reed, each quietly contacting their crew members.

7987987987987

Aeryn had forgotten how much the routine and quiet of a Command Carrier soothed her. The rigid routines of tests being run by the techs as they scrambled out of the way of the set pattern patrols by the commandos. The occassional announcements calling for various personnel to assorted tasks. A serious of tests were being done by the medical staff, and it seemed that most of the crew was being called for various times over the next few days. Several other regiments were undergoing assorted training exercises.

For a moment, she felt a deep sense of loss. By this time, her goal had been to be the Commander of a Prowler patrol. She'd even started to rank in her mind which of her fellow Pleisar Regiment pilots she wanted in her command. She shook off the feeling, schooling her features into the Peacekeeper mold she'd been trained for since childhood. She turned to partially face the oddly colored being that had followed her to the command center.

"This is the command center for the Command Carrier. From here the crew has the ability to asses any potential hostile acts or hazardous anomolies within the current stellar system, and the closest surrounding systems. The focus can be shifted, and instead be set to long range where they are then able to check at least 4 stellar systems in 1 direction."

Data nodded as the Lt went on to explain some of the other capabilities of the Command Carrier and it's complement of support vessels. It seems that the Peacekeeper command structure was rigidly controlled and the slightest disobediance or failure could lead not only to a miss of promotion, it could lead to death. Lt Sun even gave a bit of biological information regarding the Sebeccean species, mentioning that their bodies had been engineered with an inability to regulate extremes of heat, and that if exposed to high temperatures for extended lengths of time, they would enter a coma tose like state known as the 'Living Death'.

"And the current situation is that the Peacekeeper forces have split into two factions, those that support the High Command and those who wish to return to what we once were." finished one of the command officers, a Commander who was Holt's second in command.

The man had joined Aeryn and Data as they strolled around the large area. There were banks of computer equipement and monitors that controlled the various functions of the city sized ship. There was nearly a hundred people on what on an Alpha Quadrant would be known as the bridge. It was more people in a command center then Data had seen outside of some of the largest space stations or artificial moons that had been built. Most of the Alpha Quadrant races had given their ships the ability to pretty much control everything without any assitance from a command staff, and the crew were only needed for setting what ever program needed to be run. Even the tactical systems were controlled by the computers. Though the crew did have the ability to take control and manually target, aim and fire instead of simply assigning a preprogrammed pattern of actions into the systems.

"I am puzzled, Commander, Lt Sun, by the lack of automation in your system designs. It seems that several of your systems are being manned in places where by the rest of your technological base, one would assume to have the capability to have them run by the computer, freeing up many hours and crew members to fulfill other tasks of equal import."

Sun and the Commander exchanged glances before staring at Data with confused expressions on their faces. Data sighed, as he realised just how much of a rift in Sebeccean society really existed. Lt. Sun had told him that the Pk forces were separated into Tech, Commandoes, and Misc, but he would have thought some level of technical competance would exist among the higher command levels. He hadn't understood Sun's statement when she'd told him that the higher one climbed, the less they knew about the full abilities of the systems under their control. He'd assumed she'd been speaking on a more social scale regarding issues of commanding various planets, not about a captain or commander of a vessel being incapable of performing even the most essential of repairs or technical tasks.

"I have been observing the stations during our conversation and I have noted that your computer devices aer more then adaquate for the running of such simple systems as life control and keeping the ship stationary. As well as the regulating of power flow and tracking of crew members. Yet I have noted that nearly 35 individuals are tracking these and other similarly simple matters. With only a simple rewritting of some minor programs, you could free up between 27-32 of those individuals to be assigned tasks that can't be as easily automated."

The pair continued to stare at Data with those weird expressions on their faces. For the first time in his existence, Data was able to feel the sensation that others had mentioned. So this is what it feels like to be stared at like there was a growth of a secondary head. he mused before sighing again. "Though I am sure that you have your own reasons for this unique structure of command." he stated in what he hoped was a gesture of compromise.

"Er, yes, Colonel Data. As you say." the bewildered commander stated, not really understanding what the other had been saying since he couldn't speak English and Aeryn hadn't bothered translating. "Anyway, Lt. I understand that Commander Crighton and Captain Holt have found a new design for a shielding device that they hope to be able to outfit not only on larger class vessels, but also on fighters. As a prowler pilot of some skill, how do you think this would effect your battle strategy?"

Data refocussed his attention into processing what he'd learned so far. While he couldn't understand what the Peacekeepers where saying, Lt. Sun had been kind enough to translate the salient points of conversation, and he'd gathered from her side of the various discussions what the conversation was. Once it had been clear that the Peacekeepers could understand his statements, he'd been able to follow more closely. He kept some of his attention on Sun and the Commander, replying occassionaly as Sun brought him into the cconversation, but since it was related to a topic over wich he wasn't altogether familiar, -a rather intriguing feat considering his vast personal experience and his extensive file system- that of spacial individual fighter tactics, he kept his replies simple while the rest of his network went over all the interesting things he'd learned about this quadrant of space in the last few hours.

Whatever else happened, it had been worth taking leave of Daystrom to visit this unexplored territory and encounter such interesting characters.

7987987987987

Worf grinned as he ducked under the swipe of his opponents staff. He spun to his left, bringing his own weapon around in a sweep towards the large alien's knees. The move was success and Dargo slammed onto his back on the mat. Worf then attempted to slam his staff down into Dargo's ribs, but the orange tinged alien moved out of the way and was on his feet faster then Worf expected. The Luxan warrior sprung at the Klingon, swinging the weak looking weapon towards Worf's ribs.

Deciding to surprise ihs opponent, Worf allowed the weapon to slam into his side. He ignored the blow and the shattering of the weapon, stabbing with the end of his staff into an area that was a weak spot on most humanoid life forms: in the center of the torso, right where the ribs met in what humans termed the sternum. The hit from the Luxan was more powerful then Worf had anticipated, and he was forced to adjust as he slid on the surface of the training room. His real-life experience allowed him to score a strike in the proper location, and while Dargo didn't collapse as a human or most Alpha Quadrant races would have, he was force back, heaving desperately to gather his breath.

"End point." called out a deep voice from the side and Worf and Dargo glared at a moment as their bodies continued to produce their races equivalent of adrenaline. For a moment they both twitched toward each other, their aggressive natures anddesire for battle struggling for dominance over their minds.

Eventually each was able to calm down. They faced each other from about fifteen feet away, a space either could cross in less then a second if they so desired. Instead they each assumed non threatening stances, Worf bowing as was earth custom while Dargo simple nodded and folded his arms across his chest. Neither was willing to allow each other or the third member of their unusual sparring triad to see any weakness, though each sported bruises that would linger for days.

Gaan stood forward, taking center place between the two warriors. His own form glistened as he was wearing only the pants of his uniform. His chest adn back were marked in a similar fashion to either of the aliens in the room. He nodded to Worf, a gesture Dargo had told him was common among humans and one that he assumed someone raised among humans would understand to it as a show of respect.

He then turned to Dargo and spoke, knowing that the Klingon as he called himself would not understand, but also that Dargo would let the other know what was being said.

"Excellently done, on both halfs. It has been a pleasure to fight each of you in a setting as calm as this. It was the first time I could fight a Luxan without having to be forced to kill or be killed. I must admit, I have greatly underestimated your people as warriors and I must extend my appologies to you for my actions against them. Though many would use the excuse of being under orders, for the longest time I did not fully understand Holt's acceptance of all races as equals and held to the belief of Sebeccean superiority. I am glad to say that today, you have put aside the last of my reluctance.

I see now what I have missed for these many cycles. I know that no words can make up for the damage I have done to your people, but I hope that you and I, Ka Dargo, may come one day to consider each other friends." Most people would not have believed that the giant Sebeccean could be as verbose as he showed with this speech. Those few that knew him well, would simply smirk as the man known mostly for his size showed that he had not obtained his position solely due to his size.

Dargo stared at the Sebeccean, feeling the stirring of hyperrage in the back of his mind. Luckily, the persistence of one human commander had shown him that it was possible to control that most feared state of mindless violence that plagued his race. "I can not forget what you and others like you have done to my people and others of the so-called lesser races." He continued to stare as the only Sebeccean to match him in size lowered his gaze. "But perhaps one day, I can forgive. One thing I have learned since the arrival of John Crighton: holding onto hate does nothing but make you less then you could be. I can never forgive the peacekeepers for the death of my wife and my separation from my son, but you, Gaan Reis, I hold no hatred for. I too look forward to the day that will allow me to call you friend."

Worf watched as they spoke, catching only Dargo's part of the conversation since the Luxan had continued in English the entire time. He had guessed rather early into their tour of the large vessel that there was some hostility between the orange Luxan and the human like Sebeccean crew. He didn't know anything of the history, but from what Dargo had just said, it was both a somewhat personal as well as more general hostility. Apparently the Peacekeeper forces had been subjugating the other races and using them as cheap labor for unwanted tasks.

And it also seemed that they had something of a severe segregation policy and superiority complex. He didn't know how deeply it went or how long the situation had lasted, but that wasn't his concern. He was here to learn as much as he could about their fighting tactics as well as their tactical abilities. Though he felt his soul stirring at the sincerity in the words stated by each, even if he didn't comprehend exactly what Reis stated, he could understand the tone of respect and humility.

He spoke up as much to clear the air a little as to avoid the heavy emotions. "This has been a fine day. I have rarely found an opponent on which I could unleash my full strength. I am pleased to have met each of you, and for the opportunity to fight without worry of death."

The three warriors shared a moment of silence before Dargo spoke up. "When John and Aeryn returned to the ship, they mentioned that you have been able to find a weapon you think could kill a Scarren with a single shot?"

Gaan grinned. "yes, we have been working on several weapons. Come, we shall go and have a few shots at those foul creatures. Advise our new companion. I suspect this will interest him as much has yourself, Ka Dargo."

"I think you are correct, Reis. I wonder how Worf would do facing a Scarren on the battle field." the luxan asked as the trio wiped off with the freshly provided towels. He would have continued with an explanation of Scarre's for Worf, but his comm kbadge chirped.

"Yes Crighton, what is it this time?" he asked in irritation.

"Break time, Big D. Grab everyone, head back to base. We're stuck, we have a plan to fix it, but we need every one here. And since we're all going to be here, the galley's cooking up a meal for us. Say, back here in 10microts? Holt says that even if you're at the far end of the ship, there's lifts and stuff that can get you here in that time."

Dargo glanced at Gaan, who nodded to confirm the estimate. "We will be there shortly, Crighton. After our exertions we could use a filling meal."

"See ya in 10. I'll let Aeryn and Data know." John said before the comm badge shut off.

Dargo turned to his new allies. "Shall we go? I could use something more the nfoodcubes, and we haven't had a chance to sort the foodstuff we purchased on Ryra."

The other two nodded, feelign the stirring of hunger in their own forms. The three moved out of the training room, startling a squad who were coming for their daily session. The squad pressed themsselves tightly against the bulkhead walls, allowing the three massive figures to cross.

789789789789789

So another chapter done. Hope you enjoy it. A little action, some tech discussion and politics. Next should have more action and a solution to the communication issues.


End file.
